Second Best
by ShutUpAndPaddle
Summary: Family life for the Caine's continue while Eric and Calleigh become closer. Acting head of the crime lab, Eric takes the brunt of a case in a bizarre attack. Horatio discovers just how deep one of his wife's fears run when an intimate accident happens between the both of them. Warning: Lemon scenes.
1. Chapter 1

**Just a note to my readers, this is again another family-orientated story with a bit more Calleigh/Eric, Eric is probably a much larger role in this story I'd say. I'd say give it a go - I've thought up quite a bizarre plot line (not a very long story, should be around 5 chapters).**

**Second Best**

**Chapter 1**

"Hello sweetheart." Zoë grinned as she sat up from bed and saw Isobel wide awake and looking around as her arms waved around in the air. Zoë got up with a tired, natural smile and pulled her top down as it had ridden up. She stood at the foot of both Moses baskets and looked down at Isobel as she looked up at Zoë with wide, dark blue eyes. Zoë reached down and ran her fingers up from Isobel's stomach to her chest as she studied the light pink baby-grow with rabbits all over.

"What are you doing awake you little monkey? Are you looking for Mummy and Daddy?" She asked quietly as she stroked Isobel's cheek softly as she bent down closer to her with a wide smile. Isobel waved her hands around a little more frantically as she began to kick, wanting to be picked up.

"Mummy wants a cuddle too." She smiled as she gently lifted her out and sat back down after checking up on Ella who was sleeping very peacefully. She held the warm baby to her chest and then nuzzled her lightly with a smile. Zoë stifled a yawn as she began to lightly rock Isobel in hope that it would calm her down a little.

"Your sister is still fast asleep." Zoë said as she sat back on the bed and soothed Isobel as she gently ran her index finger over her forehead. Isobel looked up at Zoë as Zoë smiled down at her and she began to calm down a little. Zoë felt Isobel take a hold of her necklace, even after a couple of weeks of that happening, she still worried that one of the babies would accidentally pull it from her neck, but she was surprised at how close their hands could get to her throat without her panicking.

"You are just so gorgeous, I can't believe you're mine and 3 weeks old today." Zoë said as she gently nuzzled Isobel and lightly kissed her cheeks. She then glanced over to Horatio who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She turned Isobel so she could see Horatio and sat her on one of her thighs and supported her.

"Look at Daddy sleeping, isn't he cute? He's just as cute as you two are." Zoë smiled and then saw the smile appear on Horatio's face, causing her smile to grow as she realised he wasn't sleeping.

"Morning beautiful" Horatio said softly as he opened his eyes having heard Zoë talking. He looked up at her with tired eyes himself and took a deep breath and stifled a yawn.

"Morning handsome, Isobel was wide awake looking around when I woke." Zoë smiled softly and Horatio smiled as he sat up. He delicately ran his fingers over Isobel's forehead before he lightly kissed Zoë with a gentle smile. She smiled at him and then watched him kiss Isobel's forehead too.

"Morning sweetheart" Horatio said softly as he kissed Isobel again as she began to squirm a little more as she looked up at Horatio with wide dark blue eyes. Her arms began to flail about again which caused Horatio to smile widely and place his hand over her head and lightly stroke her thin, short hair.

"Where's my second kiss?" Zoë smiled and Horatio looked up at her with a smile and moved closer.

"Right here." Horatio said softly as he leant over and gave her an affectionate kiss as he placed his hand on Isobel's warm stomach while they kissed amorously. They then placed their foreheads together as they held their eyes closed and moved their noses together. Both took a deep breath and exhaled a tired, steady breath when they felt the tiredness really hit them again.

"How'd you sleep?" Zoë asked softly as she pulled her head from his and gazed into his bright blue eyes as she lightly rocked Isobel.

"Okay, I'm glad that they're now only waking every 3 hours though." Horatio smiled softly and Zoë nodded with a chuckle as they both looked down to Isobel with smiles.

"So am I." She smiled and Horatio nodded as he moved closer to her and placed a hand on her thigh as well as lightly rubbing Isobel's cheek. "Ella is still fast asleep and looking very content." Zoë smiled and Horatio peeped over the Moses basket and saw her sleeping with her arms raised above her head. He smiled widely and exhaled a small chuckle before he looked back to Zoë and placed his forehead against hers again.

"She's sleeping just how you sleep." Horatio smiled and Zoë giggled as she bit her lip and then looked back down to Isobel. Zoë kissed Isobel many times lightly and then just looked down at her with a radiant smile. Horatio did the same.

"Isn't she just so beautiful?" Zoë asked and Horatio nodded as he ran his fingers over Isobel's head again.

"She really is, so is Ella, they're both so beautiful and they get it all from you." Horatio smiled softly and Zoë chuckled as she looked up at him and then shook her head.

"You contributed half to them as well, so you get half of the beauty points." Zoë smiled softly as she bit her lip and lightly rocked Isobel more as she had begun to squirm more. Horatio chuckled lightly as his eyes remained on Isobel's as she looked up at Zoë.

"I guess I did." Horatio said softly with a shy smile as he continued to look at Isobel. '_She's mine, they're both mine, I finally have two daughters and a beautiful wife to share them with. My 3 girls.'_ Horatio thought to himself as he watched Isobel stick her tongue out as she continued to fidget.

"Therefore you can't argue that you're not beautiful in a manly way, you're so handsome. If you were a woman you'd be beautiful." She smiled sweetly and then giggled when she saw Isobel sticking her tongue out at her. She stuck her tongue back out at Isobel and began to coo at her. "Isobel definitely has my eyes while Ella has your eyes. But both of their hair seems to be turning a little ginger, so they might actually both be red-heads in the end. Isobel's eyebrows seem to have a bit of a ginger tinge to them." Zoë said softly and Horatio smiled and looked back up at Zoë to thread a hand into her hair.

"But if I remember correctly, you had very light brown hair as a child and almost had blonde hair when you were a baby." Horatio said softly as he raised his eyebrows at her and looked deeply into her coffee coloured eyes.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Zoë said softly as she smiled at him before looking back down to Horatio. "I think they'd be really cute with red-hair though. But I would love it if they had my hair too, I'm not entirely fussed about hair. I'm just so glad that at least Ella has your eyes." Zoë said softly.

"I'd love it if they had your hair." Horatio said softly and Zoë smiled down at Ella while Horatio continued to play with her hair and admired it as it flowed freely and easily through his fingers.

"The ginge twins with a ginge Daddy." Zoë giggled as she looked back up at Horatio.

"Ginge twins?" Horatio asked as he raised his eyebrows and she giggled again as she bit her lip. "A ginge Daddy, too, huh?"

"I'm joking." Zoë smiled as she giggled once more and leant over to place a kiss on Horatio's cheek as he continued to look at her with a smile. He turned his head and placed a quick kiss on her lips and smiled at her sweetly. "I could just watch them all day long." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded.

"I could too." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded.

"Okay, are you on breakfast duty this morning or are you on changing nappy and clothes duty?" Zoë asked with a smile.

"Whatever you'd like sweetheart." Horatio said softly and Zoë smiled and kissed Isobel's forehead again.

"Can I change them?" Zoë asked and Horatio nodded.

"What would you like for breakfast?" Horatio asked softly as he stroked Isobel's cheek as she looked up at him when he got a little closer to her.

"Can I please have scrambled egg on toast?" Zoë asked and Horatio nodded.

"Coming right up." Horatio smiled softly as he got up and pulled a t-shirt on before he kissed Isobel's head again.

"Make it slowly though please so I have time to feed them too?" Zoë asked just as Ella woke up and Horatio nodded. He walked over to Ella and lifted her up and lightly kissed her.

"Are you looking for Mummy?" Horatio asked softly as he wrapped her in the blanket and then kissed her cheek. She automatically turned her head towards Horatio's lips and he looked towards Zoë and nodded at her to let her know that she was hungry. He then placed a load of kisses around Ella's face as she looked up at him. He couldn't help but smile as he stood back up straight and held her. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay and help?" Horatio asked softly just as Ella began to cry with Isobel starting a few seconds later.

"I'll call you when they need winding as I've not yet mastered the art of doing them both at the same time, it's quite nerve-wracking." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded and then very gently gave Ella to Zoë. Zoë quickly breastfed them and then called Horatio up. He helped wind them and then took Isobel through to the nursery so Zoë could change them as he carried on with breakfast downstairs.

"Aren't you two gorgeous girls." She smiled as she placed her hands on their tummy's as they squirmed a little and looked at each other and then to Zoë a few times. She admired them in their almost identical tops, the only difference was that one was all pink, the other all white and their leggings and socks that were a little too big for them but she couldn't find smaller ones.

"Shall we go and see Daddy now?" Zoë asked with a smile and then carefully lifted them into her arms and slowly & carefully walked down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and smiled at Horatio brightly as he turned around and smiled back at her.

"Breakfast is nearly done." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded and looked over to the cooker to see what Horatio was cooking.

"I'm going to put them in the living room in their Moses basket together." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded. He then brought her breakfast into her and sat by her to eat his on the sofa while Zoë lightly rocked the basket on its stand to try and get them to sleep.

"I'm glad we got that 3rd Moses basket, we would have to use their pram for down here otherwise." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded as he took a bite of the scrambled egg and toast.

"Thank you handsome, this is lovely." She said softly and he smiled again and then watched Isobel fall to sleep very quickly as Ella laid awake a little more, looking up at Zoë and fidgeting a lot.

"Go to sleep sweetheart." Zoë said softly as she gently ran her fingertips over Ella's head, she persisted for a few minutes before she put her plate down when she saw that it wasn't working.

"Do you want a cuddle?" She asked softly and then stood up and gently picked her up and swaddled her and then sat back down by Horatio.

"Could you cut my food up please so I don't have to?" Zoë asked softly and Horatio nodded and did as she had asked while she lightly rocked Ella and spoke to her lightly.

"Your sister was wide awake this morning, now you are. You both need to sleep you little munchkins!" Zoë said softly with a smile as Horatio placed her plate back on her lap with the fork.

"Thank you kitten." She said softly as she picked the fork up with her right hand as she gently soothed Ella by rocking her to sleep and holding her with her left arm. She looked over to Horatio with a tired smile and took a deep breath before looking back to Ella as she began to close her eyes.

"You're falling straight to sleep now, just needed cuddles with Mummy. You can't get into the habit of that you monkey." Zoë said softly before she had a mouthful of toast and scrambled egg and looked back to Horatio

"What's happening today?" Zoë asked softly after she finished her mouthful.

"Joe will be over around lunch time, Alexx said she'd be over in the evening and Eric said he'd be over after work, so we've got a pretty full day." Horatio said softly once he'd finished his mouthful.

"Is the cleaner coming today?" Zoë asked softly as she put her fork down again and placed her plate on Horatio's thigh as she began to rock Ella a little more as she was beginning to wake again.

"No sweetheart, that's Tuesdays and Fridays, today is Wednesday." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded as she looked at him.

"I'm so glad we got a cleaner, I couldn't imagine what we'd do if we had these two to keep us on our toes as well as keep the house clean." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded with a smile.

"We've also got to see Sophie again tomorrow." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded.

"Is it bad that I'm still terrified of taking them out?" Zoë asked as she looked at Horatio.

"Nothing will happen to them or you; I'm beside you all the way. I know it can be a little worrying at times, but we can't let the past affect our present and future." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded as she looked down to Ella and lightly bit her lip. Horatio could see her hesitance.

"I know, but I am scared Horatio, I mean, all those criminals out there that hate us, we're the most vulnerable now than we ever have been and we have the most precious things in our lives on show, it's scary." Zoë said softly.

"I know sweetheart, but we can't keep them in forever, as much as I'd love to, we just can't. If we just carry on with our walks you might get used to it and feel better." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded.

"I know you're right." Zoë said softly and Horatio placed one of his hands on her back and began to lightly rub her back as she stopped rocking Ella again. "She's gone now." Zoë smiled sweetly as she stood up and put Ella down in the Moses basket and sat back with Horatio to finish her breakfast. Joe came over that afternoon just after they'd finished lunch and hugged Zoë.

"How are you all doing?" He asked as he broke from the hug and shook Horatio's hand.

"We're all great thanks, they're little angels and they're so good I can't believe it." Zoë smiled as they walked into the living room with him following.

"Would you like a drink, Joe?" Horatio asked softly as he stood at the living room entrance.

"No thank you Horatio; just had a coffee." He said softly and Horatio nodded with a gentle smile but walked out to get himself and Zoë a drink anyway.

"Would you like to hold them both at the same time? I'd like a picture of you and the both of them, so I can send it to Kaitlin and for myself." Zoë said softly and Joe nodded with a shy and nearly hesitant smile as he sat down on the sofa. "It's easy to hold them together, don't worry." Zoë said softly and Joe nodded as she got them out of the Moses basket gently. Isobel woke briefly and looked up at Joe as he held her in his right arm as Zoë placed Ella in his left. She stood back and smiled radiantly at Joe as he looked up at her before looking back down to both babies. "You 3 are adorable!" Zoë grinned as she got her phone out and got a few pictures. She then sat down and showed him and he smiled while he continued to hold both babies.

"Could you also send that to me please?" He asked and Zoë nodded and then sent it to him and Kaitlin.

"You watch, you'll get Kaitlin screaming at you down the phone because she wants to hold them." Zoë grinned and Joe chuckled as he looked down at Isobel. He looked into her deep dark blue eyes and couldn't help but smile. '_I can't get over how much like Zoë they look. They look identical, I swear Zoë said they were non-identical twin?'_ Joe thought to himself.

"She's coming down this weekend so she'll get her fair share of cuddles then." Joe smiled and Zoë nodded with a smile as she leant over and gave Isobel a few kisses.

"She has to lie to her bitch boss again though." Zoë said softly as she gently stroked Isobel's cheek and forehead with a bright smile.

"It's just because she doesn't like Kaitlin very much, which I don't understand." Joe said softly and Zoë nodded and then glanced over to Horatio as he walked in with two mugs and an easy smile.

"Thank you, Kitten." She said as Horatio placed their mugs on the coffee table in front of them and then sat down next to Zoë after looking at both girls in Joe's arms with a smile.

"Ella should be waking up soon too, don't worry if she has a little cry." Zoë said softly and Joe looked up at her a little panicky when he heard the word cry. "It's been about 3 hours since their last feed and Isobel always wakes up a little beforehand and silently looks up at the world until she gets bored and hungry that's when she'll let us know." Zoë smiled softly as she sat forwards and picked up her mug and leant over to Horatio to give him a gentle kiss on the lips and thanked him again.

"Which one cries the most?" Joe asked as he looked up at Horatio and Zoë while Zoë placed her free hand on Horatio's thigh as she took a sip from the mug.

"Neither really, they each have a bit of a squeal and scream here and there, but it's nothing bad. Rarely they will actually go for it and properly scream… I hate it when they scream or cry bad though, even though it sounds quite cute every now and then. Isobel's cry is a little more piercing than Ella's." Zoë said softly as she put her tea back down again and saw Ella beginning to wake.

"Do you want to feed Ella?" Zoë asked as she got up and gently took Isobel from Joe and smiled down at her before she nuzzled at Isobel a little.

"I don't have milk… or breasts for that matter." Joe said softly as he looked at her and she began to laugh while she stood in front of them and rocked Isobel a little while Horatio got up and walked out.

"No, we're trying to bottle feed one during the day, they take it in turns. I've already expressed. During the day they can both be quite difficult with feeding, so we bottle feed one while the other gets my breast, during the night I tend to feed both using my boobs as they prefer that at night strangely. They probably get their weird habits from me…" Zoë said softly as Horatio walked in with the bottle in a bowl of hot water to warm the milk up.

"Ah I see, sure, I'll give it a go." Joe smiled softly but she could still see his hesitance, she knew it was his first time feeding a baby.

"Horatio will show you how to do it, don't worry." Zoë smiled softly as Ella began to look up at Joe. Joe smiled down at her as she began to fidget while Zoë put a bib on Isobel. Horatio quickly put a bib on Ella and then checked the temperature of the milk.

"Wow, her eyes are really light blue, I swear they've got bluer since I saw them last." Joe said softly and Zoë smiled widely as she got up and smiled down at them while Horatio moved to sit beside Joe.

"She's got her Daddy's eyes." Zoë smiled as she picked up one of the muslins. "I'll be right back." She said warmly before she walked out to feed Isobel in the privacy of the nursery upstairs. She didn't have a problem with feeding the babies in front of others, as to her it was a natural thing, but she knew Horatio wasn't entirely comfortable with it so respected that. She knew it was just him though, he was naturally protective of her and the babies.

"How do I do this?" Joe asked Horatio softly as he looked back down to Ella with a smile. Joe gently stroked Ella's cheek and she turned her head towards his finger and opened her mouth.

"She's definitely hungry, don't worry it's very easy." Horatio smiled as he placed a muslin on Ella too. Horatio then handed Joe the bottle of warm milk after making sure it was warm enough and not too hot.

"She likes to look at you Horatio." Joe said softly as Ella kept turning her head to look up at Horatio with wide eyes.

"It might be because she's used to me or Zoë feeding her." Horatio replied before he briefly told Joe what to do. Joe tried what Horatio had directed him to do but she kept putting her hands in the way as she began to cry.

"Don't worry, she's just getting hungry," Horatio assured him as he gently pulled Ella's hands away from her mouth so Joe could give her the bottle. She was quickly silenced once the bottle was in her mouth and she began to drink contentedly. He smiled down at her as her eyes fixed on his face while she drank the milk.

"She'll probably stop half way through the bottle where she'll want winding, then she'll want the rest of the bottle." Horatio explained, he then winded her and handed her back to Joe once that was done as Joe couldn't get the hang of winding them. Zoë then came down just as Ella finished with Isobel changed and very happy.

"She was very hungry." Zoë told Horatio with a smile as she sat back down and looked at Joe with Ella. "How's it going?" she asked, naturally curious.

"Very well," Horatio replied to which she nodded as he took Ella back from Joe to wind her once more.

"They have a check-up tomorrow, don't they?" Joe asked the both of them.

"Yes, and don't worry, I'll update you after the appointment." Zoë smiled and Joe nodded contentedly.

"Thank you." He said softly and Zoë nodded with a smile before he looked back down to Ella.

"Do you want to change her?" Zoë asked warmly Horatio sat her on his lap, facing him as he began to make faces at her. Joe looked at Horatio and Ella with a smile, he was more amused with Horatio than Ella was.

"Sure, that would be good." Joe replied to Zoë as Horatio then moved and laid Ella down on the sofa on a changing mat before he collected everything from the bad on the arm-chair. He handed Joe everything he needed and then sat back down by Ella and entertained her while Joe changed her successfully.

"You're becoming a pro at this now." Zoë smiled and Joe nodded as he looked back up to Zoë.

"It's quite easy once you're confident." He said softly and Zoë nodded as she looked back down to Isobel and began to babble at her.

"Anyway, I must be off as I have another meeting in 30 minutes." He said softly and Zoë nodded as Horatio gently picked Ella back up.

"It's been lovely to see you, Joe, see you soon." Zoë smiled as she got up as he and Horatio did. They all walked out to the hall where he gently hugged Zoë and then shook one of Horatio's free hands as they also said bye to each other.

Zoë and Horatio then put both girls down in the pram and got their bags ready for a walk along the beach. Both girls were asleep by the time they had finished the bags and then headed out back and walked along the pavement at the back of the beach.

"You're right, this is lovely actually. I don't seem to be worrying." Zoë smiled at him and he nodded as he smiled, he loved it when she put her hair up and put her sunglasses on; it seemed to complete her smile in the sun. He pulled his sunglasses on and placed his hand on her lower back as he moved closer to her while he also helped push the pram along.

"Would you like to go and get a coffee from the café up the beach a little more?" Horatio asked and Zoë nodded with a natural smile as she looked over to him.

"That would be wonderful." She said softly as she took hold of Horatio's hand as they both had hold of the pram as they also walked hand in hand. "I will end up walking into something one day, I can't keep my eyes off them." Zoë smiled softly and Horatio chuckled lightly and then adjusted the light blanket over Ella and checked both of their temperatures to make sure that they weren't too warm. "I think Ella is looking more like you every day." Zoë said softly as she looked up to Horatio.

"You think?" He asked and Zoë nodded, she could tell that he was really quite happy with her comment.

"I think she's got your eyebrow shape and your nose perhaps." Zoë smiled softly and Horatio smiled as he looked back down to both girls and could see the difference between them. Once they had their coffee they walked back and fed and changed them when it was time. Eric then came over after work.

"How's work going?" Horatio asked softly as he and Eric stood in the kitchen as Horatio made some drinks while Zoë finished changing both babies. She came downstairs with them both and quickly kissed Eric on the cheek with a bright smile.

"Did you want some iced tea, Zoë?" Horatio asked softly and she nodded.

"Please." She said softly and Horatio nodded and then poured her a glass.

"Work is going great but it just isn't the same without you both though." Eric said softly and Zoë nodded with a smile.

"Well, Horatio might be back next week." Zoë said softly and Eric looked to Horatio as she did.

"We're still discussing it. I might go back half-time." Horatio said softly and Eric nodded, he could see that Horatio was a little more hesitant than Zoë was though, he thought it would be the other way around.

"Well let me know please, H?" Eric asked softly as Horatio stirred the mugs.

"Of course I will, I hope that I'll find the lab in working order too? Nothing disastrous has happened to it since I've been gone, has it?" Horatio asked softly as he handed Eric the cup of coffee.

"Nope, it's all fine and in working order H, it's all ready for you to come back and take over again." Eric smiled and he nodded with a smile. Horatio picked up his mug as well as Zoë's glass and then walked into the living room after Eric and Zoë.

"Would you like to hold Isobel?" Zoë asked softly as Eric sat comfortably in the sofa while Zoë perched on the edge.

"Sure, she's not the one that's awake, is she? I don't want her to scream if she's taken away from you." Eric said softly and Zoë lightly giggled.

"No, that's Ella, Bel is fast asleep." Zoë smiled and Eric nodded with a smile. Both Zoë and Horatio felt a feeling of warmth enter their hearts again when they saw Eric as enthusiastic as he was about holding one of the babies, they were extremely happy to know that one of their best friends had such an interest in their lives and their children. "Can you seriously not tell them apart?" Zoë asked.

"It is incredibly difficult, but I think if I had enough time to look at them, I could." Eric said softly and Zoë nodded.

"I guess that's fair enough, I mean we spend 24 hours a day with them. I think Ella looks like Horatio more now." Zoë said softly and Eric nodded as Zoë handed him Isobel.

"I think I can see a bit of Horatio in her, but I think that's because of her eyes, I think everything else is you though. Maybe Horatio's nose and eye area?" Eric asked as he studied Ella a little more while Zoë sat back with Horatio. Horatio looked from Eric to Ella and smiled. He could see his eyes in hers but could still only see Zoë in the rest of her face, which he was secretly glad about. '_Isobel will be the spitting image of Zoë, Ella will be very close I think. Although, I think I can see what they're talking about with her nose.'_ Horatio thought to himself as Ella turned her head and looked up at Horatio. "Does it feel weird to think that 3 weeks ago they were still in your stomach?" Eric asked and Zoë nodded as she moved closer to Horatio to allow Ella to look up at him properly as he bent down and lightly kissed her forehead and cheeks.

"It really does, I can't explain it, but it does feel really weird and it also feels incredible, I mean my body gave them life, they were actually inside me. It feels weird not to be pregnant anymore, even though the last few weeks seemed to drag forever and felt horrendous, I'd love to do it again, I miss being pregnant… well, I miss the feeling of being pregnant. I miss the feeling of knowing that our daughters were in me." Zoë said softly and Eric nodded with a smile. "I've still got all this fat though, it's slowly going down, and I am reminded of the pregnancy because I've still got a massive period." Zoë said softly as she reached forwards and picked up her glass.

"Sweetheart, Eric probably doesn't want to know that part." Horatio reminded softly as he placed his hand on her back while she sat back. She looked to Horatio and realised what she had said and then looked back to Eric with a shy and apologetic smile.

"Oh, sorry Eric, didn't even think." Zoë said softly and Eric nodded with a gentle smile.

"Not to worry, Zoë." Eric smiled and she smiled back.

"How's it going with Tyler and Calleigh?" Zoë asked softly as she sipped her drink and sat right back. He gently leant forwards and sipped his coffee well away from Isobel.

"It's going well thank you, I can definitely feel a bond forming between Tyler and me, Calleigh seems to be feeling a little distant though, but that's because she has Tom in California." Eric said softly and Zoë nodded with a sweet smile as Eric put his coffee back down.

"That bond will get stronger, I don't know about Horatio but I felt an instantaneous bond from the point they were put on my stomach after being born, it's just getting stronger and stronger each minute I'm with them. The more time you spend with him, the stronger that bond will get." Zoë said softly and Eric nodded.

"Pretty much the same for me too." Horatio said softly and Zoë smiled at him as she put her glass back down and placed her hand on his thigh while she continued to rock Ella.

"I wish I was there from when he was born, but Calleigh was right, I wasn't ready for a child back then. I think would have been if I was given the chance to prepare though, I do wish I was a part of his life from day 1." Eric said softly.

"It's only natural to feel like that though. There were points in my pregnancy where we both questioned whether we were ready or not, purely because we didn't know what to expect at all, you've got to throw yourself in at the deep end though and you'll find that it works out. I mean, you're absolutely brilliant with the girls, so I know you're brilliant with Tyler. I know he's older then these two, but it just shows that you do have that nurturing instinct. I still can't get over how much he looks like you in that picture though." Zoë smiled.

"Thank you, I know, I can't believe it either, he seems to look more like me every time I see him." Eric said softly and Zoë nodded with a smile. She could see that Eric was very happy that Tyler looked like him.

"I think it's generally like that though, the boys will look like their fathers, whereas the girls will look more like their mothers, not all the time though, I mean I've seen girl babies around that look just like their fathers and my brother was the male version of my mother and me. Ella is also looking like Horatio a lot more." Zoë smiled and Eric nodded. He quickly looked down when Isobel let out a loud squeal. His eyes widened as he took a deep breath and looked up at Horatio and Zoë when he began to panic. "Don't worry, she's still sleeping, they do that sometimes." Zoë assured him, he nodded and then looked back down at Isobel who had completely calmed again and fell back into a deep sleep.

"I think she does look a lot like you still though." Eric said softly and Zoë nodded.

"Yeah, but I mean the small differences, like the eyebrows, the eyes, that sort of thing." Zoë said softly and Eric nodded with a sweet smile. "How's it going with Calleigh though?" Zoë asked warmly as she picked up her glass again and had a few sips.

"It is good, she's so understanding and caring, much like she used to be I guess. You should give her a chance H, but I completely understand why you'd be a little uneasy. But I can assure you that she's fine, she's safe. You know Calleigh, she doesn't have a bad bone in her body." Eric said softly.

"I don't know what she's been doing these past two years Eric, she's lost my trust even though I understand why she did it. My priority is to make sure Zoë and the girls are safe, not to re-live the past. You know that people can be deceiving, take Gabi for example, she fooled the entire team and then nearly killed Zoë. I know Calleigh would never do something like that, but people change a lot in 2 years." Horatio said softly and Eric nodded.

"She only did what you did when you faked your death." Eric said softly, trying to defend her but he also didn't want to upset Horatio.

"Yes, but I did it to stop Zoë from getting harmed or even killed. Calleigh ran, granted she wanted to protect your baby, but the best way to do that was to come straight to us, not hide for 2 years, leading us to believe that she was dead whilst she lived a cosy life in California. You can't compare us, we had different reasoning's and outcomes." Horatio said softly and Eric nodded as he exhaled.

"I know H, I just don't want her to feel like she's been forgotten and hated for what she's done. I want you both to be a part of Tyler's life as much as you want me to be a part of the twins lives." Eric said softly and Horatio nodded.

"I understand, with time I'll trust her again, but at this moment in time, she's not coming anywhere near Zoë or the girls, not until I'm happy that she hasn't got into the wrong crowd. Think about it Eric, she turns up out of the blue when Zoë was attacked and heavily pregnant. What better way to get close to me and to her than using a previous colleague. You never know these days, she might be being forced to do something." Horatio said softly and Eric steadily exhaled and looked down before he pulled his phone out just as it started to ring.

"Talking of Calleigh, she's ringing, sorry, I'm going to take this." Eric said softly and they nodded and then gave their concentration to Ella as she lay awake looking up at Horatio and Zoë.

"Give him a break, please." Zoë said quietly to Horatio and Horatio exhaled himself and then nodded, he knew he was being too defensive.

"Hey Cal." Eric said softly as he looked down at Isobel sleeping in his arms with a warm smile forming on his face again.

"Eric, I'm sorry I didn't know who else to call." Calleigh said as she sobbed into the phone.

"Woah, Calleigh, what's wrong?" Eric questioned as he looked up and heard her quietly sobbing into the phone on her end.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Tom and I split up, I don't know what to do, I don't have anywhere to live anymore, we're parked outside a motel with all of our stuff. It was all so sudden." Calleigh replied as she wiped her eyes and nose on some tissue.

"I'm sorry to hear that Calleigh, don't stay in a motel, come to Miami." Eric said softly as Zoë and Horatio looked up at him, both a little alarmed.

"I can't do that Eric, I can't rely on you." Calleigh said as she panicked slightly.

"Yes you can, just calm down and drive down to Miami, I'm not letting you stay in a motel, if you can't drive I can come to California and I can pick you and Tyler up. Tyler is with you, isn't he?" Eric asked with a mild frown.

"Yes, he's with me. But Tom cut up my credit card, I don't have anything other than the cash on me, I only have about $80, that won't even get me to Miami, I'm stuck in a car with Tyler, he needs food." Calleigh said softly as she tried to compose herself to keep Tyler calm.

"Okay Calleigh, don't panic, do you have your old debit card on you?" Eric asked softly.

"Yes, but that bank hasn't been touched for 2 years, there's nothing in there." Calleigh said as she exhaled.

"Okay, I'll transfer some money into that bank account, okay? Come straight to mine, we'll sort this out, don't worry." Eric said softly and then heard Calleigh sigh.

"I can't take your money, Eric." She said softly as she sniffed and wiped her nose again.

"Yes, you can. I'll transfer it in a few minutes okay? Just come down to Miami." He said softly as he looked back to Isobel.

"Okay, thank you so much Eric." Calleigh said softly as she calmed.

"No problem Cal, I'll see you later, drive safe." Eric said softly.

"See you later." Calleigh said softly. He put the phone down and then looked to Zoë and Horatio, both were very curious.

"Everything okay?" Zoë asked softly.

"Calleigh has split with Tom and he cut up her credit card. She only has $80 on her." Eric sighed softly as he began to soothe Isobel as she began to squirm a little.

"Why would he cut up her credit card?" Zoë asked as she frowned.

"It wasn't hers, it was his, but she used it, I guess it was so she couldn't use it anymore." Eric shrugged.

"Do you have the money?" Zoë asked and Eric sighed as he looked back to Isobel, he didn't want to admit that he didn't.

"Not until I get paid next week." Eric said softly.

"We can give you some." Zoë said softly as she glanced to Horatio and he nodded in agreement.

"I can't take your money." Eric said softly.

"Of course you can, we're more than happy to help you out. She has a child with her, she's going to need more than $80, he's going to need food and everything, not to mention entertainment for the long drive." Zoë said softly as she tilted his head.

"I'll pay you straight back, thank you so much." Eric said softly as he knew that it was the only option.

"You don't have to sweetie." Zoë said softly with a warm smile.

"You're both not in work at the moment, I have to pay you back straight away." Eric said softly.

"Believe me sweetie, we'll do fine. How much to you need?" Zoë said softly with a gentle smile.

"Erm, could you stretch to $250 please? If you can't do that then $200 should be fine." Eric said softly.

"Are you sure you don't want more?" Zoë asked softly as she lowered her eyebrows. '_That wouldn't even cover the petrol.' _Zoe thought to herself.

"Zoë, $250 is a lot of money, I'm sure that'll be fine, thank you." Eric said softly.

"Are you sure though? You don't have to pay us back at all, Eric. If she's going to be staying, you're going to need more than $250, I know your cupboards are nearly bare…" Zoë said softly and Eric sighed as he thought about it. He looked down to Isobel and exhaled. Not even her sleeping form could calm his increasing stress. "You should probably ring her back and tell her to get a flight to here, it'll be much quicker and probably less expensive. I think the drive is about 40 hours…" Zoë said softly and Eric nodded and then rang Calleigh again as Zoë sat back and looked up at Horatio with a gentle smile.

"Hey Cal, it's probably best if you fly here, isn't it?" Eric asked softly as she picked up.

"Yeah, but I have all of Tyler's stuff here and I don't have that sort of money to just replace it." Calleigh said softly.

"It'll be cheaper, and we can get him some new things if you can't bring it all down. The drive is about 40 hours, isn't it? You can't be driving for that long, even if you stop and sleep. Keeping Tyler happy in the car for 40 hours will be a very stressful job." Eric said softly.

"I guess you're making sense, I could send his stuff down. I won't be seeing Tom ever again so there is no chance that we'll get back together." Calleigh said softly.

"Okay, send the stuff down and then get a flight." Eric said softly.

"Thank you Eric." She said softly.

"No problem, see you later tonight, hopefully." He replied.

"Yeah, see you later." Calleigh said softly and then hung up.

"I don't want to take your money, especially if I can't give it back so soon." Eric said softly as he looked back up to Horatio and Zoë.

"I've put $1500 in your bank, don't even think about paying us back." Zoë said softly as she put her phone away.

"$1500?" Eric asked alarmed as he raised his eyebrows at the both of them.

"What? If Calleigh is going to be staying with you, even if it's for a few days, it's going to be expensive, babies aren't cheap, flights aren't either." Zoë said softly and Eric looked at her.

"How can you just give me $1500? I know you're both well off, but surely you can't just give me that much when you've just had two babies?" Eric asked still alarmed.

"Eric, we've got a fair few million. $1500 is nothing sweetie, you don't have to worry. Don't pay us back." Zoë smiled softly and they both saw the shock on his face. "You didn't know that?" Zoë asked softly as she tilted her head.

"No… not millionaires anyway… I knew you were both wealthy and probably wealthier when you married, but not that rich." Eric said softly, looking slightly shocked still.

"If you find that you and Calleigh get together and need a bigger place, we're also happy to help you out with that, just as long as the house is in your name if something bad were to happen and she split from you." Zoë said softly with a gentle smile.

"We're not going to get together, and thank you for the offer." Eric said softly as he sat back and looked down to Isobel.

"You don't know that, you a have a child with her, I know you've got feelings for her still, anything can happen." Zoë said softly and Eric rocked Isobel a little more and she calmed down. "Anyway, I'm having a snack, do either of you want anything?" Zoë asked softly as she stood up.

"No thank you." Eric said softly and she looked to Horatio.

"No thank you sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he took Ella from Zoë. She walked out and came back in with peanut butter toast. She got up briefly and checked the temperature of Isobel and then sat back down when she was satisfied.

Eric left a little while later and went home to stock up on the food and tidy before Calleigh arrived while Alexx visited Horatio and Zoë. Eric drove over to Miami airport as Calleigh arrived and called.

"Hey, are you okay?" Eric asked softly and Calleigh nodded as she hugged Eric as Tyler stood by their side.

"I'm so sorry Eric, I didn't know what else to do." Calleigh apologised.

"No, don't apologise, I'm glad you called me." He said softly as he bent down and then picked Tyler up.

"How are you doing little man?" Eric asked softly as he smiled at Tyler and he nodded at him and then put his head down on Eric's shoulder and begun to suck his thumb as he closed his eyes.

"He's exhausted; he didn't get too much sleep on the plane." Calleigh said softly and Eric nodded.

"I've already got something to eat ready for you and Tyler and got a bed made for him." Eric said softly as he looked back to Calleigh.

"You are a star, thank you Eric." Calleigh said softly and Eric smiled at her.

"Come one, let's get him to mine. If there's anything you need we can go out tomorrow." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded as she pulled her case along as Eric picked up another bag.

"Thank you so much Eric, if there's any way I can repay you, please let me know." Calleigh said softly. "I'll give you the money when I get a job too." Calleigh added.

"Don't worry about the money." Eric said softly and Calleigh smiled warmly at him.

"Anyway, how can you just conjure up $1500? Has your pay gone up that much?" Calleigh asked softly with a tired smile as they walked out to his car.

"Not really." Eric said softly as he looked down to the floor, he didn't want to tell her how he got it as it made him feel like he couldn't provide for Tyler in some way.

"Then how'd you get it?" She asked softly with a smile and he looked back up at her.

"Horatio and Zoë gave it to me." Eric said softly.

"What? You borrowed $1500 from them just to get me to Miami?" Calleigh asked a little alarmed.

"Calleigh, they can afford it, they offered and were more than happy to give it to me. They're insisting that I don't pay them back as well. It wasn't just to get you to Miami, it's to get some food, to get the things that Tyler needs here as I'm sure you haven't got all of his stuff, like a car seat for instance." Eric said softly as he got Tyler into the car. "Sorry, I don't have a car seat, I'll drive very carefully." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded as Eric strapped Tyler in while he slept.

"How can they afford to give $1500 away? They've just had twins. I should have stayed in California for a few days. You can't just take money from them." Calleigh said as she looked at Eric while she furrowed her brow.

"They're wealthy, Calleigh. They're fine." Eric said softly as he gently closed the side door and opened the boot to get her cases and bags in.

"How? Zoë wouldn't have earned any more than you and Horatio has only a bit of a higher pay check." Calleigh asked as she tilted her head.

"They just are, Zoë comes from a wealthy background. They can definitely afford it Cal, don't worry. Horatio never seemed bad off either." Eric assured her and she nodded as he closed the boot and walked around to climb into the front of the car.

"Is she like a millionaire or something ridiculous like that?" Calleigh smiled and Eric remained silent as he turned the key in the ignition. "She is?" Calleigh asked as she frowned mildly.

"They are both millionaires, Calleigh." Eric said softly as he exhaled and then reversed back out of the parking space.

"Wow, now I can see why Horatio likes her." Calleigh muttered softly as she sat back in the seat.

"Calleigh, Horatio is not with her because of the money, neither of them are very money orientated and wouldn't care if they were rich or poor. Don't assume things like that about them, I don't appreciate it and they wouldn't either." Eric said calmly as he pulled off and out of the car park.

"Sorry Eric, but you have to admit it… Zoë is young, she's pretty and she's smart–" Calleigh said softly.

"She also loves Horatio, and he loves her for who they are. They are perfect for each other. I don't want to hear any more about them from you, please? You don't know anything." Eric cut her off as he glanced over to her.

"Sorry Eric." Calleigh apologised and he nodded and then concentrated back on the road. "Have you been over theirs? You smell like baby." She smiled softly and he nodded.

"Sorry, I haven't had the chance to change." Eric apologised warmly.

"I still love that baby smell." Calleigh smiled brightly and Eric smiled softly at the road. "How are their babies doing by the way? The last time you told me about them was when they were born and Isobel was on oxygen? It is Isobel, isn't it?" Calleigh asked softly as she gave Eric her full attention.

"Yes, Isobel and Ella, she's doing a lot better now, they both are doing really well." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded with a smile.

"They're pretty names. Can I meet them sometime soon? I'll probably stay put in Miami from now on." Calleigh said softly as she looked back into the car to check on Tyler who was still fast asleep.

"H is cautious of you, he won't allow you near them or Zoë for a little while, but once you have his trust it should be fine." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded with a sigh.

"Do you have a picture of them? I love babies." She said softly and he nodded and then handed her his phone. She went onto his photo album and looked through the few baby pictures he had on there. "They're beautiful." Calleigh said as she looked up at Eric and he nodded with a smile.

"Ella has Horatio's eyes while Isobel has Zoë's, but other than that, they look pretty much identical. They both look very much like Zoë although Ella does have a hint of Horatio in her. We're still tall taking bets on who's hair they'll have. They've still got very fair hair at the moment, no-one is sure if they're going to be red-heads or brunettes. Zoë was very fair as a child apparently, so they could go either way." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded and then put his phone back down as they arrived at Eric's. They got out and sorted themselves out before heading in and quickly eating something before Calleigh put Tyler to bed. She walked back downstairs having bathed him and settled him in.

"Thank you so much Eric, he's gone straight off to sleep. He doesn't usually sleep well in places other than his bed." Calleigh said softly as she sat back next to Eric and he smiled at her warmly.

"So what happened between you and Tom if you don't mind me asking?" Eric asked softly as Calleigh sat back down on the sofa.

"We've been having a few problems for a couple of weeks, he was sure that I was cheating on him with you… I wasn't, obviously and this morning I found out that he was actually cheating on me and has been for the past few months or so. He cut up the credit card because I said that I had been cheating on him to make him feel just as bad as I did, I then walked out after getting my stuff and Tyler's stuff. Things are always said in the heat of the moment. I didn't cheat on him at all, it just came out and I felt satisfaction when I saw his facial expression. He got her pregnant which is how I found out actually because she came knocking on our door demanding to see him." Calleigh said quietly as she leant forwards and placed her head in her hands with a large exhale.

"Oh I'm so sorry Calleigh." Eric said softly as he placed his hand on her back and expected her to burst into tears.

"If he could cheat on me, then he wasn't worth it so I'm not going to lose tears over it. It was just a shock earlier and I didn't know what I was going to do." Calleigh said softly and Eric nodded as he hugged her softly when she turned to hug him.

"You're welcome to have a shower and you can have my bed, I'll stay down here for the night." Eric said softly as they pulled from the hug.

"Oh no, you have your bed, I can have the sofa, it's fine, thank you." Calleigh said softly as she looked into his eyes with a gentle smile.

"No, you have my bed, really." Eric said softly and she nodded with a smile.

"Thank you Eric." Calleigh said softly as they got up and he nodded.

"Help yourself to food and drink, I'll be in the main bathroom if you need me." Eric said softly as he walked up the stairs behind her.

"Thank you." Calleigh said as she glanced back at him. Eric walked into his bedroom to pick up a towel for him and for Calleigh and then went to leave but felt Calleigh take hold of his hand.

"Eric, you are amazing." Calleigh said softly as she gently pulled him towards her and Eric smiled shyly as he looked down and let her pull him close to her.

"Thank you." Calleigh said sincerely as she looked up at him. His eyes met hers and his smile became more natural.

"My pleasure" Eric smiled softly and then felt her soft lips on his as she closed her eyes. He closed his and let her lips take him away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: Lemon scenes...**

**Chapter 3**

"I feel so bad for Eric." Zoë said softly as she laid with Horatio in bed and rubbed his chest lightly whilst she wrapped herself around him.

"Why?" Horatio asked softly as he turned onto his side and looked into her dark brown eyes.

"Because I think he loves Calleigh, I don't want to see him get hurt if she toys around with him. He deserves so much happiness, but I'm not sure it'll all end happily ever after with Calleigh." Zoë said softly as she played with his chest hair and steadily exhaled and looked back into his eyes.

"You think he does?" Horatio asked and Zoë nodded as she placed her hand flat against his chest. "She's not the sort of woman to toy around with men, I don't think anyway." Horatio said softly.

"She's already hurt him though, she faked her own death for over two years and happily left him to think that. I mean, I'm sure she's a lovely woman and I really am trying not to use her past against her. But when Eric is concerned, I don't want her past to re-play. I mean, she was already cheating on her boyfriend at the time with Eric, what if she does the same with him? That would rip his heart out. It would severely upset me if I saw Eric get hurt and I think that's my problem. I just don't want him to get hurt at all. Maybe she has changed over the past two years though, changed for the better. But if I was in her position back then, I would have gone straight to Eric, or I would have run and then rang Eric, I wouldn't have ever let him believe I was dead for 2 years. I just can't help but believe that she's not a woman Eric should be getting involved in and I know it's not for us to stick our noses in, but he's a part of the family and I want the absolute best for him." Zoë said softly as she looked into his eyes.

"I do agree, but she seems genuinely sorry, and she has a child by him, she won't hurt Eric because he's Tyler's father. I'm not sure what will happen between them, but Calleigh will keep Eric in Tyler's life." Horatio said softly.

"So she is a kind woman?" Zoë asked and Horatio nodded with a gentle smile.

"Are you sure she won't hurt Eric?" Zoë asked and Horatio nodded after her thought for a moment.

"We all knew that they had something for each other, but I think either Eric wasn't confident enough to do something about it or they both just didn't communicate. Calleigh's always been a little… um… hopeless with love I guess I could say. A hopeless lover springs to mind, and I think she knows that anyway." Horatio said softly.

"Eric… not confident, yeah right." Zoë smiled softly as she began to stroke his chest again.

"I guess you're right." Horatio smiled warmly as his hands began to travel.

"I hope they sort it out though, and I hope everything works out for the both of them, especially for Tyler." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded and then lifted her top and ran his hand over her stomach with a smouldering flirtatious fire building in his eyes. "Please don't, I can't help but feel self-conscious when you touch my belly." She said softly as she placed her hand over his and brought his hand away from her stomach as she pulled away from him fully and laid on her back.

"Why beautiful?" Horatio asked softly as he rolled onto his side and propped up on one elbow to look at her.

"Well, my belly is all flabby and fat still, I'm not used to having a stomach like this, you know I have a problem with weight and I'm doing really well at not controlling my urges to get rid of it straight away." Zoë said softly as she lightly bit her bottom lip and looked over to him.

"Zoë, you're still just as beautiful as you were with a flat stomach, your belly just reminds me of when Isobel and Ella were in there and it turns me on; you were so sexy when you had a big belly. Well, you were also very sexy before the belly too, but what I'm saying is that I don't care whether you have a belly or not. Look at mine." Horatio said as he rolled onto his back and rubbed his belly and raised his eyebrows. "That's flabby and fatty." Horatio said as he looked up at her with a smile and saw a smile appearing across her face but he knew she didn't want to smile so she tried to hide it.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't look right if you were really skinny, you're just right." She smiled softly as she raised her eyebrows.

"You're just right too; you'll always be beautiful in my eyes. Your belly is fine, your belly tells me that you've had our girls and it's something to be proud about, not something to shy away from." Horatio said softly and she smiled at him as she moved closer to him with a small smile that wanted to grow but she still held back from smiling fully at him.

"I'm still on my period though." Zoë said softly as she furrowed her eyebrows and placed her hand back on his chest.

"I've told you before… sex doesn't have to follow intimacy, Zoë." Horatio said softly as he turned back onto his side and moved the strand of hair that had fallen to her eyes from her forehead.

"But intimacy makes me want sex, and I'm not sure I'm ready for sex yet." She said quietly.

"I'm not surprised; they're only 3 weeks old and you're not supposed to have anything like that for at least another 3 weeks anyway. Sex wasn't on my agenda for tonight." Horatio smiled softly as he gently played with her hair. She leaned up and gently pressed her lips against his before she moved to lie on him.

"Is having babies what you expected?" Zoë asked softly as she raised a hand and threaded her small fingers into his soft, floppy hair while she gazed down into his bright blue eyes while they looked up and into her coffee coloured eyes.

"Everything and more, I didn't imagine it feeling this good, or tiring for that matter." Horatio said honestly and Zoë nodded with a gentle smile in agreement.

"Do they make you feel warm inside too?" Zoë asked and Horatio nodded as he wrapped his arms around her back and smiled up at her.

"But you also make me feel warm inside." Horatio smiled softly before he lightly kissed her.

"You make me feel very warm inside too, sometimes even scorching hot." Zoë smiled and Horatio chuckled softly. She kissed at the corner of his mouth with a smile of her own as she felt his smile while his fingers ran up and down her spine once he released her from his tight hold. "I wish this period would hurry up and end, I want to make love to you." Zoë said softly before she moved and began to kiss his neck as he looked up at the ceiling with a smile plastered across his face.

"I wish it would too." Horatio murmured softly as he felt her plump lips massaging his neck. He closed his eyes and felt her lips work their magic as he felt her soft skin on her back underneath his fingertips. He took a deep breath and ran his tongue over his lips when he felt her lips moved down to his chest. He ran his right hand lightly through her hair and then felt her tongue circle his nipple. He felt himself come alive instantly. He could feel himself pressing against her stomach and he knew she liked it. He then felt her move down move and felt her breasts move over his hardness. She sat up and pulled his night pants off before he'd even realised.

"Someone is ready for something." Zoë grinned at him and he looked down to her with a smile as he raised his eyebrows.

"Don't you want to undress too?" Horatio asked softly.

"I would, but big pants and a big plain bra isn't exactly sexy." Zoë said softly as she took hold of him with both hands.

"It is to me." Horatio said softly as she looked up at him with a smile. She then pulled her top off and began to massage his hard length as she sat between his legs. She bit her lip and grinned at him devilishly.

"Is that good?" Zoë asked and Horatio nodded with a keen smile and her smile widened. She then bent down and engulfed him in her mouth. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and let her tongue play with him. He could feel every single movement of her delicate, warm tongue which caused a low groan to escape his throat. He clasped the cotton sheets in his fists as his muscles tensed a little as he resisted the urge to thrust his hips upwards. He knew he was close and took a deep breath to gather enough air to tell her to stop.

"Zoë, it's time to come up sweetheart." Horatio said quickly and she quickly sat up and smiled at him sweetly.

"Was that okay?" She asked and he nodded with a very contented expression. She then slowly crawled up and smiled down at him. He could feel her stomach moving against his length and suddenly he felt something working its way up his hardness. His heartbeat felt like it had stopped as he felt a wave of panic cloud around him instead of pleasure.

"Zoë, get off." Horatio said frantically and she frowned at him, slightly confused. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away but it was too late she had felt him pulsate against her stomach and felt him release on her abdomen. He felt the physical release and his eyes widened as he looked back up at Zoë and stopped pushing her away. She'd frozen inches above him and he watched the look of fear cross her face before she looked down and saw that he'd exploded. She looked back up at him and he felt his heart fluttering in his chest, he knew that her reaction wasn't going to be pretty. He knew she had begun to feel absolutely terrified; he could see the sheer terror and haunting memories fleet across her eyes. He thought she was going to scream, but instead her head fell forwards as she fell into a blackout and head butted his nose accidentally. Horatio scrunched his face up as he felt pain from his nose and then quickly moved Zoë and laid her on her back. He straightened her arms and legs out from the position they were froze in and then pulled the baby wipes from her bedside table. He quickly wiped her stomach and threw the wipes in the bin as he wiped himself and threw them in the bin too. He quickly pulled his night pants up and then got back onto the bed and knelt beside her.

"Zoë, come on sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he placed his hands either side of her face and looked at her vacant expression while she stared blankly at the ceiling. He moved into the path of her sight but she just looked straight through him.

"Come on sweetheart, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to." Horatio said softly as he rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs and began to really worry about her.

"Zoë, come on." Horatio said frantically as his thumbs skimmed over her cheek bones a little harder as his eyes jumped from her right eye to her left. He looked up and saw both Isobel and Ella waking and beginning to squirm in the Moses baskets. '_Not now, please girls.'_ He thought to himself as he knew he couldn't deal with Zoë and his daughters at the same time. He knew he'd have to deal with the babies over Zoë but didn't want to.

"Zoë I'm so sorry." Horatio apologised as he looked into her glassy eyes again. He heard Isobel let out a piercing scream and then saw Zoë come around instantly and he saw the sheer shock on her face.

"You're okay sweetheart." Horatio assured her softly before looking back up to Ella and Isobel and saw them calming down again. He frowned mildly and then looked back to Zoë and saw her take a deep breath before she burst into tears and pushed him away forcefully. She quickly got up and ran into the bathroom and locked the door as her crying got louder.

"Zoë, I'm so sorry." Horatio pleaded her as he got out of bed as quickly as he could and rushed over to the door. He could hear her crying and could hear the taps filling the sink and he knew she was going to scrub her skin raw.

"Zoë, open the door please." Horatio said frantically as he tried the handle but the door wouldn't budge. He heard a load of things fall to the floor and he began to panic. He panicked more when he heard something hit the shower glass.

"Skyler, unlock the master en-suite door now." Horatio said firmly and he heard the flick of the lock. He opened the door and saw Zoë sitting on the floor, scrubbing her stomach with a very rough sponge. He could already see that her skin was beginning to redden. He quickly rushed over to her and fell to his knees on the floor.

"Zoë, I'm so sorry sweetheart." He said as she pulled her hands from her stomach to stop the scrubbing.

"Don't touch me." Zoë begged more than she ordered and he let go of her but pulled the sponge from her hand. She clenched her fists and began to cry more as she pulled her knees up to her chest and bowed her head down. Horatio frowned deeply as he looked at her, unsure what he could do.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am sweetheart." Horatio said as he sat opposite her and leant against the counter which housed the sink.

"It wasn't your fault, I know that Horatio. It's a natural response, I know." Zoë murmured brokenly while she continued to cry down at the floor. '_What do I do? What do I say? How do I make this better?'_ Horatio questioned himself frantically.

"Sweetheart, can you look at me?" Horatio asked and she shook her head as she began to scratch at her stomach hard enough for him to hear her nails scratching her skin off. "Try not to scratch sweetheart, please." Horatio said softly but she continued to do it, it was her natural response to something like that and he knew it. He swallowed and tilted his head as he ran a hand through his hair. "Zoë, try and think of it this way… that is what put Ella and Isobel in your belly, that's what helped to create them. Without that, there wouldn't be our girls, without that we couldn't have created two beautiful girls and they wouldn't be here today." Horatio said calmly and she nodded but continued to cry.

"I know, but it just brings back so many memories Horatio, they still haunt me and hurt me so much. I always have nightmares after something like that. He's going to turn my dreams into nightmares for the next week. I'm not going to sleep at all, Horatio, I never do after that." Zoë cried.

"I know sweetheart, but it is a good thing, it brings life into the world. It brought Isobel and Ella into the world… it made them a part of me." Horatio said softly and Zoë looked up at him with tears falling from her eyes. "They're a part of me because of that, Zoë. Our two daughters came from that, they are half me because of that." Horatio said warmly and softly as he tilted his head as he knew that was what Zoë was thinking about, he knew if anything was going to help her, that would.

"Touch me." She said quietly and he tilted his head more and mildly frowned.

"Touch me please." She said as she held her hand out with her palm up. He reached out and placed his hand in hers and he saw her tense and close her eyes and he knew it mentally hurt her. He quickly pulled his hand from hers when he saw it hurting her a lot. '_That's actually torturing her. I can't touch her without it severely hurting her?'_ Horatio asked himself in his head.

"No, touch me." She said and he put his hand back in hers again and pressed his lips together. '_She's trying to get past it, that's what she is doing.'_ Horatio thought to himself.

"Touch me more." Zoë said as she kept her eyes closed and focussed on his tender touch. He brought his other hand up and placed it over her inner forearm. He watched her swallow, it hurt him to touch her because he knew it was hurting her a lot more but he knew she was trying her best to get over it.

"I put Isobel and Ella in your tummy." Horatio whispered and she nodded as she looked up at him and into his eyes as she swallowed again and then pressed her lips together for a second to try and compose herself.

"Touch me more." She said as she held his gaze. He slowly ran his hand up her arm and saw her jaw tighten so he stopped when he realised the closer he got to her body, the more it was burning her inside.

"Carry on." She said as she held his eyes and he saw the intensity in them. He swallowed and took a steady breath as he carried on. "Tell me how they got here." Zoë asked him quietly.

"When we made love, my sperm fertilised two of your eggs, creating Ella and Isobel, they're here today because of that." Horatio said very softly but she burst into tears again. He quickly withdrew his hands when he saw her being ripped apart at the seams.

"No, keep touching me. Touch my stomach." She said as she lowered her knees and looked up at him with pleading eyes. He looked up at her, he didn't want to cause her more pain. '_I can't do that to her, I can't cause her more pain! I am literally putting her through mental torture right now.'_ Horatio thought to himself as he shook his head at her silently.

"Touch me please!" Zoë begged him and he placed his hand over her stomach as he moved closer. He pressed his lips together and lowered his eyebrows. He could feel himself hurting as he watched her hurt. She took a few big deep breaths as she closed her eyes and held his hands over her stomach. She clenched her jaw tight and gritted her teeth as she put her head back against the glass shower door and pressed his hands against her stomach more as she swallowed. Horatio remained silent and watched her expression change a few times as she fought a battle inside of her head.

"Can you wash my stomach, please?" She asked as she opened her eyes and he nodded. He quickly rose to his knees and put a soft wash cloth into the hot water and then wringed it out. He moved back over to Zoë and then gently rubbed her stomach with the cloth but stopped when she fell into another blackout. He sat back on his knees between her legs and allowed his eyes to search her face and body. He could see that she'd taken layers of skin off and knew she'd be sore. She lifted her head again and looked at Horatio sweetly with a gentle expression. He knew she was in the daze still and started to rub her stomach again until she pushed him away with a moan. He kept his distance from her but remained sat between her legs as he gave her a gentle expression and tilted his head.

"Zoë, can you hear me?" Horatio asked but she didn't respond, her eyes just fell to his mouth as it moved. She tilted her head more as her jaw slacked slightly. He exhaled steadily and knew that they could be there for ages as she was highly stressed. '_Her longest blackout/blank-out was 20 minutes if I recall correctly… we could be here for that amount of time.'_ He thought to himself but then moved closer again when she blacked out once more.

"Sorry" she said as she lifted her head, realising that she'd blacked out and he gave her a small smile and nod and then wiped her stomach again with the soft cloth. She took a few deep breaths and then looked down at her stomach again. She swallowed and continued to maintain a steady breathing pattern. Horatio knew she was trying to keep herself calm, he could feel that her stomach muscles had tensed too.

"Thank you." Zoë said quietly when she felt clean and a lot better. He helped her up to her feet and then embraced her in a warm hug. He could feel that she was very tense as she bowed her head again and continued her steady breathing as she pressed her cheek against his upper chest.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart." Horatio apologised as one of his hands swept up her back and felt her soft skin beneath his fingertips. She swallowed and then pulled from the hug as she looked down at the floor.

"It wasn't your fault." Zoë said softly and then walked back into the bedroom with him following. She stopped at the end of the bed and turned to him. "I'm sorry for reacting like that Horatio." She said softly and he gave her a reassuring smile as he shook his head.

"You don't need to apologise sweetheart." Horatio said softly as they got back into bed after Zoë backed away from him. Zoë laid separate to Horatio, keeping her distance and he knew to keep his.

"Say that word, please Horatio." Zoë asked as she looked over to him while she laid on her back.

"Which one?" Horatio asked softly as he turned his head to look at her.

"Just say anyone of them." Zoë said softly and he swallowed as he looked at her. He took a few moments to think to himself and whether she actually wanted him to say it or whether it would make her worse.

"Sperm." He said quietly and then watched her close her eyes after she looked up at the ceiling and swallowed.

"Say the other?" She asked as she reached over and took hold of his hand and began to play with his wedding ring.

"Semen" Horatio said quietly again and felt her grip his hand more as she frantically played with his wedding ring as her breathing increased again while she shook her head. She tried her best not to cry again and she managed to succeed.

"Say that one again, Horatio, please." She said firmly while she continued to keep her eyes closed.

"Please don't make me, Zoë." He said softly as he rolled onto his side and gripped her hand back. He could see that it was hurting her more and that she was fighting to keep the tears away.

"Say it, please." She asked him, she almost begged him.

"Semen" he said again quietly and she exhaled.

"Thank you Horatio." She said as she turned her head and looked over to him after composing herself. She sat up and pulled her top on and then laid back down and rolled onto her side to face him. She placed her hand flat against his chest and exhaled another deep breath as she looked down at it and looked at his crisp chest hair.

"I'm quite proud of myself, I think I handled that better than I ever have. When Joe and Mike had accidents with me, I couldn't allow them to touch me for days, I had to sleep in a different bed to them, I couldn't even look at them for a few hours after, that's how bad I am… I was." Zoë said softly and Horatio realised just how much of a feat it really was.

"Really?" Horatio asked and she nodded.

"Thank you Horatio, thank you so much." She said softly as she moved closer and placed her head on his pillow and gazed into his eyes.

"I think you can get me through this fear, Horatio, or at least so you can say those words." Zoë said softly and Horatio looked into her eyes and could still see that she was scared.

"If you want me to help you through it, then that's absolutely fine sweetheart, but if I feel it's getting too much for you, I will stop. I'm not going to do something drastic if you ask me to, I know you like to throw yourself in at the deep end, but I am not putting you in at the deep end when it comes to this. We'll work slowly if it is what you really want." He said softly and Zoë nodded.

"Thank you, I think slow is the way to handle this, even if it's just you that can say the word and it doesn't make me want to stab my ears or something, then I'll be proud of myself." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded with a gentle smile. "Touch me again please." Zoë said softly and Horatio ran his hand slowly up her side as she closed her eyes as she tightened her jaw. "Thank God for Skyler, I would have scrubbed my stomach until it bled if she wasn't able to unlock the door." Zoë said softly as she opened her eyes and looked back at Horatio when the mental pain began to ease.

"I would have got in somehow, even if it meant climbing through the window from the balcony." He said softly as he rubbed her back when he put his arm around her and she smiled lightly at him.

"There's no point in even trying to sleep yet, they'll probably be awake in about 35 minutes." Zoë sighed when she glanced over to the alarm clock on Horatio's bedside table.

"You know you're amazing, don't you?" Zoë asked softly as she placed a hand on his chest again and gazed deeply into her eyes.

"Well, I know I mean something to you, but I don't know about amazing." Horatio said softly as he placed a hand over hers on his chest and looked down slightly.

"Mean something? Horatio, you know you mean everything to me, you and the girls mean everything to me and you are amazing, if you weren't amazing, I'd be sleeping in another bed right now, you wouldn't be touching me right now. You are utterly amazing at everything." She said as she lifted her head and he looked up at her and then nodded with a gentle smile.

"I mean everything to you." Horatio said softly as he lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles delicately while his eyes remained on hers. "Just like you and the girls mean everything to me." Horatio said softly and she smiled.

"You're amazing Horatio, tell yourself that you're amazing." She asked softly as she put her head back down to his pillow and he exhaled but remained silent as he raised one eyebrow at her.

"Say it please… say that you are amazing." Zoë said softly and he looked over to her with a small frown.

"Only if you say it to?" Horatio asked softly and she nodded with a smile as she moved a little closer to her.

"I am amazing." They both said together and then watched smiles appear across each other's faces.

"See, it's a right confidence boost, I do tell myself that I am amazing sometimes, because sometimes, I amaze myself, like just now." She said softly and Horatio nodded with a smile, happy to hear her brightening up again. "And you're just always amazing." Zoë smiled softly as she nuzzled his shoulder as she became a lot more relaxed too.

"I'm always amazing." Horatio said softly and Zoë's smile widened as she kissed his shoulder once.

"I love it when you say something good about yourself." Zoë said softly as she nuzzled his shoulder again.

"I love it when you say something good about yourself too." Horatio said softly and she moved her head to look up at him with a smile. She then heard something and lowered her eyebrows as she listened.

"I think I can hear one of them moving around over there." Zoë said as she sat up with a small exhale. "I was right Bel is awake." She said softly.

XXXXXXXX

Eric woke the next morning and looked over to the other side of the bed to see Calleigh sleeping next to him. He swallowed and then rubbed his face as he looked back up to the ceiling as his heart rate doubled. '_Did last night really happen?'_ He asked himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

'_Did I really sleep with Calleigh last night? I can't have imagined that, can I? She's sleeping in bed with me though. I think Zoë's right; I do think I have strong feelings for her. After all, she is the mother of my son. I did sleep with her last night… she's just broken up with her boyfriend, surely she wasn't ready? She initiated it though; she pushed me to the bed. Perhaps I'm a rebound? Perhaps I'm just second best? Perhaps she doesn't even like me like that anymore, but she slept with me because she could? I shouldn't have let it happen; I should have spoken to her first.'_ Eric thought to himself.

"Morning hot stuff," Calleigh said after she woke and looked at Eric who was in deep thought still.

"Morning Calleigh," he replied as he looked over to her with a mild frown

"What's bothering you?" She asked softly as she moved onto the other side of the bed to give him some room.

"Was last night a mistake, Calleigh?" Eric asked bluntly as he frowned a little more.

"Do you think it was a mistake?" She asked as she turned onto her side and propped her head up on her hand while she raised her eyebrows lightly and looked at him.

"I'm not sure." Eric said honestly before he pressed his lips together.

"I don't think it was a mistake." She said and he looked at her and tilted his head too.

"You don't?" Eric asked and she shook her head with a fresh morning smile.

"Well, it was just sex. It's not as if we've never done it before." Calleigh said softly as she placed her hand on his chest as her smile widened.

"Just sex?" He asked and she nodded. "Didn't it mean anything to you?" He asked with his frown developing.

"Of course it did. Did it mean anything to you?" She asked softly and he remained silent.

"Eric, this is where we fell apart last time, if you want something, you have to tell me otherwise that was just sex." She said softly and then watched him think. '_Tell her, you've told yourself all this time that if she were here, you'd tell her how you felt, you have that chance now tell her.'_ Eric thought to himself as he swallowed and tried to push himself to it.

"Will you move in with me?" He asked and then frowned himself. '_That wasn't telling her how you feel!'_ Eric said to himself as Calleigh frowned at him too.

"Thank you Eric, but I don't know. Moving in with you is a big thing, Tyler needs a stable relationship in the house. I have to know that you actually want something with me." Calleigh said softly and he swallowed again and blinked at her a few times. '_Doesn't asking her to move in with me count as telling her that I want something with her. It's clear I do, isn't it? Is she just trying to play a game with me or something?'_ Eric thought to himself. "Go to work and think about it, I'll think about it too, thank you Eric." Calleigh said softly and Eric nodded. He quickly got up and had a shower while Calleigh got up and woke Tyler.

"What does Tyler eat in the morning?" Eric asked softly as he walked down the hall to see Calleigh dressing Tyler.

"Do you have cheerio's and yogurt?" Calleigh asked softly and Eric nodded with a gentle smile. "Okay, he'll eat that, but I'll do it as he won't eat it if there's too much in the bowl, thank you though Eric. It's not you, he's just a very fussy eater, I don't know where he picked it up from." Calleigh said softly and Eric nodded with a smile.

"Do you want a coffee?" He asked softly.

"Please." Calleigh said softly and Eric nodded.

"I'll meet you down there in a moment." Calleigh said softly.

"See you down there." He said softly as he walked out. '_Why can't I just tell her that I want something with her? Perhaps I'm just a little stressed? A little confused even, I mean, I slept with her last night after believing she was dead for 2 years.'_ He thought to himself and then made a coffee for himself and for Calleigh. She then came downstairs and thanked Eric, she also poured a bowl of cereal and got a yogurt from the fridge.

"Thank you Eric." Calleigh said softly and Eric nodded with a smile as he sat down. Calleigh sat Tyler up on her lap at the island counter and placed the cereal and yogurt in front of him and he began to eat with a little help and encouragement from Calleigh.

"I'm sorry Calleigh." Eric apologised softly as he looked at her warmly and then placed the coffee on the side by her.

"For what Eric?" Calleigh asked softly, Eric began to speak but was cut off by Tyler.

"Mummy, drink please?" He asked softly as he turned and looked up at her sweetly.

"Have you finished your juice already sweetie?" She asked and he nodded. She smiled sweetly at him and then leant forwards and picked up his plastic cup.

"Eric, would you fill that back up please?" Calleigh asked softly and he nodded with a smile and then took the cup from Calleigh. He handed it back to Tyler himself as he sat back down with a smile.

"Thank you Dad" he said softly and then sipped it as Calleigh sorted out his thin jumper while Eric smiled brightly at Tyler.

"You do like it when he calls you Dad, don't you?" Calleigh asked with a smile.

"Of course I do." Eric replied brightly as he looked back up at Calleigh.

"Good." Calleigh said with a natural smile.

"Anyway, I must be off, will you be in when I get back?" Eric asked softly as he got up and placed his cup in the empty sink.

"Yes." Calleigh said softly with a warm smile.

"Are you planning on going anywhere today? If you are I can leave you my house keys, but just as long as you're in when I get back as I'll be stuck otherwise." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded.

"We'll be in, we'll probably just go for a walk and check out a few nurseries." Calleigh said softly and Eric nodded.

"Okay, the keys are in the bowl, help yourself to food and drink. Help yourself to anything." He said softly and Calleigh nodded.

"I'll see you later." Calleigh smiled and Eric nodded. He then walked over to them and quickly kissed Tyler on the top of his head.

"Bye Tyler." Eric said softly and Tyler looked up at him.

"Bye Dad" he said softly as he waved and Eric waved back at him with a smile. Eric quickly left and Calleigh cleared up the things Tyler had used before putting him in front of the TV for a while and then taking him for a walk.

Eric was on a call out with Natalia and Walter, they'd found a man dead in an abandoned warehouse, he'd been beaten and then stabbed, but the stab wounds seemed a little odd.

"Eric, he wasn't stabbed; I think he was cut with a knife but not stabbed. It looks like he died due to this head injury, his skull was fractured and upon more force, the fracture broke which meant his skull pierced his brain." Alexx said as she looked up at Eric who stood just beside her with a thinking frown.

"Can you tell me what sort of knife inflicted these wounds and what was used to smash his skull?" Eric asked softly as he quickly looked around.

"I think he was just beaten to death, it looks like he was beaten by more than one man, a lot of force would have had to be used to get his skull in that condition, I tell you." Alexx said softly as she looked back to the body.

"So his skull was kicked?" Eric asked.

"Yes, from what I can tell so far anyway. It just looks like a small knife that has inflicted these wounds, I can't tell for sure yet, sorry Eric but it does look like these wounds were inflicted antemortem." Alexx apologised softly.

"Okay, thank you Alexx, let me know if you get anything else." Eric said softly and Alexx nodded. Eric turned around and processed some feathers that were lying beside the body.

"Hey Walter, would you happen to know what animal these came from? Like a parrot or something?" Eric asked as he picked up some of the feathers and studied it closely while Walter walked over to him.

"They look like Rooster feathers." Walter said as he took the feather from Eric and studied it closely himself.

"Chicken feathers?" He asked.

"Yeah, but the male version of the chicken." Walter said softly and Eric nodded as his eyes settled on the feather again.

"I thought they were called Cockerels?" Eric asked and Walter nodded.

"They can be called Roosters too." He said softly and Eric nodded and looked back down at the floor as Walter did.

"It looks like there was a cockfight here, look at the scuff marks and everything on the floor over there." Walter said as he walked over to their left a little and pointed to the floor.

"Do Roosters have claws?" Eric asked and Walter nodded.

"Their claws aren't usually cut if they're in a cockfight, they can grow quite long and sharp." Walter said softly and Eric nodded and then turned to look back to Alexx.

"Hey Alexx, is there any chance those wounds could have been inflicted by the claws of a rooster?" Eric asked softly and Alexx looked up at him and thought to herself for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess so." Alexx nodded as she inspected the wounds a lot more closely again. "There's dirt in these wounds, I'd say that is probably the most likely cause for these wounds." Alexx said softly as she pulled something out one of the deeper wounds.

"It looks like it's a part of a talon, or claw, I'd say these were definitely inflicted by the talons of a rooster." Alexx said softly and Eric nodded.

"Thanks Alexx." Eric said as he walked back over to Walter as Natalia joined them.

"It could be that money was involved, perhaps he made a bet that he couldn't pay?" Walter asked and Eric nodded.

"I'd agree, we have nothing else to go on at the moment…" Natalia said as she looked up at them and they nodded.

"We need to find out if there's any more cockfights going on around the area and soon." Eric said as he walked away to gather more evidence.

Once Eric and Walter had finished they also left to get on with processing at the lab. Later that day, Walter walked in to the lab Eric was working in.

"Hey Delko, I've heard that there is a cockfight going on right now, it's in another abandoned warehouse, not far from this morning's crime scene." Walter said softly and Eric nodded.

"Get Natalia, we're going." Eric said and then walked out with Walter.

"Frank, we've got a location, get back up." Eric said and Frank nodded and then pulled his phone out.

Eric arrived at the warehouse with backup. He and Walter got out of the hummer and pulled their guns out and began to quietly approach the main entrance while patrol had all entrances and exits surrounded and then burst in on Eric's signal. Around 20 men began to scramble as two men grabbed the roosters and threw them towards Eric, Walter and Natalia.

"Hands in the air! None of you are getting out." Frank's loud voice boomed and every man began to slow when they realised that they were surrounded by patrol officers with guns. "Everybody line up against that wall and face it. Put your hands above your heads against the wall. Do it." Frank said loudly and the men slowly moved over to the side wall and did as Frank asked. "You're all going to be checked out, if you have any weapons on you, tell the officer before he checks you because you'll be a lot worse off if we find that you're hiding weapons." Frank said as he walked over to them with his gun still drawn and with a mean, hard expression.

"Hey, where's Delko gone?" Walter asked Natalia who shrugged at him. They glanced back to the entrance they used when they heard something knock the floor lightly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

They saw Eric on his hands and knees on the floor, his right hand clutching at his throat as he gasped for air. Their eyes widened when they saw his throat bleeding and the blood oozing through his fingers.

"Help me," he managed to rasp as he looked up at them. '_Where's Zoë when you need her? I'm going to die; a bloody chicken has slit my throat.' _Eric thought to himself when he genuinely began to fear for his life. Natalia immediately pulled her phone out and rang for an ambulance as she and Walter ran over to Eric.

"Okay Eric, you'll be fine." Walter said as he knelt on his knees and gently got Eric on his back and placed his hand over Eric's on his neck too. Walter's heart rate had doubled as he looked around for help.

"Did that rooster catch your throat?" Walter asked and Eric nodded as an officer rushed over and took his shirt off and handed it to Walter before the officer ran back over to a patrol car. Walter quickly removed Eric's hand and placed the shirt against his neck and leant on it firmly while Natalia stood talking on the phone and looked down at Eric, worried.

"You'll be fine Eric, don't panic." Walter said as he looked up to 2 officers running over with their mandatory first aid kits.

"Do you have gauze and bandages in there?" Walter questioned as they knelt the other side of Eric.

"I think there's some bandages." The younger officer said as he opened the bag just as the other opened his.

"There's not much, but if we put these bandages against the wound and then put the shirt over them? The t-shirt isn't clean but the bandages are." The young officer said and Walter nodded. The two loose roosters were caught by animal control and caged in the two empty cages. All 6 roosters were then taken away immediately.

"Eric, we're going to move the shirt very quickly in a moment, try not to panic." Walter said softly and Eric nodded. They quickly put the bandages against his bleeding throat and then pressed the now bloody t-shirt over it. Paramedics soon turned up and tried to stem the bleeding. They quickly got him to hospital with Walter following in the hummer as Natalia stayed and processed once she'd composed herself and concentrated on the job at hand. Eric was met by a new doctor and was treated quickly and efficiently. They quickly took him down to theatre as they couldn't stop the bleeding and the artery had been very slightly nicked. Walter sat in the waiting room, waiting for Eric to come out when Eric's phone began to ring. He picked it up and looked at the caller. '_Calleigh? Isn't that the woman who was dead and now she's not? Should I answer?'_ Walter asked himself. He then shook his head and put the phone back down and sat back. A few minutes later the phone rang again and Walter picked it up. '_It must be urgent if she's calling again, surely?'_ Walter thought to himself. He answered it and didn't even have time to say hello.

"Eric? It's Calleigh." Her soft voice said.

"Er, hi Calleigh, it's Walter, Eric's colleague, he can't answer the phone at the moment. I can give him a message later though?"

"Why can't he come to the phone? Why do you have his phone?"

"Eric has been taken to hospital, I'm here waiting now. He's in theatre, he should be out in about 10 minutes."

"What? Is he okay? What happened?" Calleigh asked, growing very worried.

"His throat was cut." Walter said gently, hoping he wouldn't worry her but knew it was probably too late.

"What? By who? Don't tell me it was the same guy that tried to cut Zoë's throat? How bad is he?" Calleigh asked and Walter could hear her gathering things in the background in a rush.

"It was a rooster that cut his throat, it wasn't life-threatening, but it was serious. One of the roosters talons had nicked one of the arteries in his neck. They're patching him up now though so there isn't any need to worry."

"Where is he? I'm coming to the hospital now." Calleigh said firmly.

"Erm, he'll be home by the time you get here I'm sure." Walter said softly as he looked up at the blank wall.

"I'm in Miami, where are you? I'm coming over now." Calleigh said firmly.

"Okay, he'll be taken up to ward M, if you ask at that reception they'll show you to him." Walter said softly.

"Thank you." Calleigh said before she hung up and collected Tyler's things. '_I'm going to have to get the bus, great.'_ Calleigh thought to herself. She then pulled Tyler from in front of the TV and gave him her phone to play with once he started to be difficult. She walked out and then waited for the bus, it seemed forever in her mind. '_I hope he's okay, I really hope he's okay. I can't let Tyler see him if he's in a bad shape. What am I going to do with Ty? A chicken cut his throat? What has this world come to? I really hope he's okay.'_ She thought as she finally arrived at the hospital with Tyler and walked in and followed the signs to M ward. She boarded the lift and then held the doors when a couple of surgeons walked in with a bed. She soon realised it was Eric. She quickly turned Tyler's head but it was too late, he'd already seen Eric while Calleigh held him.

"Oh my god, Eric… is he okay?" Calleigh asked them as she placed her other hand in Eric's hand and looked up at the 3 surgeons as they stood with the bed.

"Are you family?" The lead surgeon asked.

"Dad" Tyler said as he reached down and dropped the phone to the bed and tried to reach out for Eric.

"Kind of." Calleigh said softly and they nodded with a gentle smile. "Shh, Dad's okay sweetie." Calleigh said as Tyler squirmed in her arms more with a smile.

"He's fine ma'am, he'll be waking up very soon, we'll keep him in for observation and he should be allowed home tonight." The surgeon said softly and she nodded with a relieved smile and sigh.

"Thank you." She said as she bent down with Tyler and kissed his forehead.

"Give Dad a kiss so he gets better?" Calleigh asked and Tyler copied Calleigh.

"Good boy." Calleigh smiled and then followed them out as they wheeled Eric out. She walked into the room with Eric as the surgeons hooked him up to a few monitors and then left once they were happy. She put Tyler on the end of Eric's bed as she sat on the edge and took hold of his hand while she looked up at Eric while he still seemed to sleep.

"Come on Eric, wake up for me." Calleigh said softly as she ran her hand up his arm slowly. She looked up at him when he moaned lowly a few moments later. "Eric, it's Calleigh." She said warmly and Eric opened his eyes as he swallowed. He winced when he swallowed and then frowned up at Calleigh while his eyes adjusted.

"Calleigh?" He tried to ask but nothing came out which caused him to frown more.

"Hey, it's okay. You're fine, they've sorted you out and are happy with you." Calleigh said softly and he nodded with a smile. They just looked at each other for a few moments before Eric broke the silence and the building charge.

"I was nearly killed by a chicken." He whispered dryly and she smiled at him warmly as she took his hand in hers again.

"I know, I couldn't believe it when Walter told me what happened, what are the chances?" She asked and Eric nodded with a small smile and then looked up at her again with a gentle expression. "I've been thinking Eric." She said softly as she paused and looked down at his hand in hers. She then glanced back to Tyler to see him very much entertained with her phone. "If a relationship is what you want, then I'm happy to try it again, since seeing you again a few months ago, my feelings for you have come back with revenge. I'm actually quite happy that Tom cheated, I would have never got out of that relationship if he hadn't have." Calleigh said softly as she tilted her head and looked at him sweetly.

"I do, I should have told you how much you mean to me before you left, I should have told you what I wanted. I've still got very strong feelings towards you, and now I have a son with you, they're intensifying." Eric admitted quietly and dryly as Calleigh smiled warmly.

"That's all I wanted to hear, thank you Eric." She smiled as she lent down and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I've missed those lips." He whispered dryly as he smiled up at her.

"They've missed you too." She smiled as she kissed him again. She quickly sat back up and looked round to the door and saw Walter standing there, looking shocked.

"Sorry, I didn't think you'd be in here just yet. I'll give you two some space." Walter said as he looked slightly startled.

"Walter, thank you for earlier, I really appreciate it." Eric said whispered quietly.

"It wasn't all me, Nat helped and the officers, don't give me all the credit." Walter said softly and Eric nodded with a small smile as he became slightly awkward. "Here's your phone, you've got a text from Zoë." He said softly as he walked over to the bed quickly and handed it to him as his eyes focussed on Tyler while he remained infatuated with Calleigh's keys.

"Thank you, you don't have to wait around, I'm good here." Eric whispered dryly again and Walter nodded.

"Is he your son, Calleigh?" Walter asked and Calleigh looked up at him and then nodded.

"How old is he?" Walter asked softly with a warm smile.

"He's 18 months." Calleigh said softly and Walter nodded.

"He's quite cute." Walter said softly as he stepped back.

"Thank you." Calleigh said softly as she looked back to Eric with a slightly nervous expression as she didn't know if anyone knew about Tyler yet.

"You know, the weird thing is that he looks just like you Delko." Walter chuckled as he looked over to Eric. '_How can he even see that? He's never that observant! Do I tell him that he's my son?" _Eric thought to himself as he swallowed again and looked up to Walter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"That's because he's my son, Walter." Eric whispered as he looked up at Walter. Walter's eyes widened as he tilted his head.

"No, you're kidding me?" Walter asked as he looked up at Eric, shocked as he looked back to the young boy.

"No, he's my son." Eric rasped and Walter still looked shocked as he looked back to Eric and Calleigh as Calleigh nodded at him.

"You've known all this time? You said Calleigh was dead." Walter asked, confused as he frowned at Eric.

"No, I've not known all this time. Things happened and it wasn't Calleigh's fault, she did what she thought was best for him." Eric said quietly as Calleigh poured him a cup of water when she heard his voice becoming rougher again.

"Did you get her pregnant before she left then?" Walter asked as if he completely forgot that Calleigh was in the room.

"No, I impregnated her from the other side of the country." Eric said sarcastically and Walter swallowed as he frowned more. He just hoped that he hadn't annoyed either of them. "Sorry Walter." He apologised when he realised he was being slightly snappy as he felt quite groggy.

"No, I'm sorry I didn't mean to ask such a dumb question." He said and Eric nodded as he sat up and sipped the water after Calleigh passed it to him.

"We'd like it if you kept this quiet for now, please?" Calleigh asked and Walter nodded.

"Of course." He said as he nodded more.

"Does anyone else know?" Walter asked as he looked at the both of them.

"Only H and Zoë know." Eric said a little louder now his throat and mouth wasn't so dry.

"What's his name?" Walter asked as he softened his expression considerably and looked back to the young boy.

"Tyler Delko." Eric replied as he handed the cup back to Calleigh.

"Congratulations." Walter said softly and Eric gave him a small smile.

"Thanks Walter." Eric said softly and Walter nodded.

"Are you two together then?" Walter asked and they looked at each other. Calleigh then nodded at Walter.

"Keep that to yourself for the time being as well, please." Eric said softly and Walter nodded.

"I won't tell a sole." Walter said softly. "Anyway, I'll let you rest or do whatever you want to do. Give me a ring if you need anything. Glad you're okay." Walter said and Eric nodded with a small smile. Walter promptly left and Eric looked back to Calleigh and laid back down.

"Half of Miami will know by midnight, I know it." Eric sighed softly as he moved and got himself comfortable.

"It doesn't matter anyway, people are going to find out that we have a son. I'm surprised that people don't already know." Calleigh said softly as Tyler got up and sat on one of Eric's legs with a smile.

"Hey buddy, how are you doing?" Eric asked softly as he placed his hand on Tyler's arm. He gave Eric a nod and then looked back down to the phone.

"You won't get much from him at the moment." Calleigh said softly and Eric nodded.

"Will you move in with me?" Eric asked as he looked back up to Calleigh and she nodded while Eric began to lightly rub Tyler's back.

"I think that's a good idea at the moment, if that's still okay. I've applied for a few jobs today, I'll keep looking though. You wouldn't know if there's any openings at the lab, would you?" Calleigh asked.

"Sorry Cal, there isn't. Natalia, another CSI has filled in the gap and the funding has recently been cut so they can't afford another CSI at the moment." Eric said softly

"Can't I work there temporarily? Just until Zoë goes back? She won't be back for some time, surely?" Calleigh asked.

"I don't think they'll do that as they've just lost some funding for a certain department and so all other departments are trying to compensate now. A load of guys from IAB have been laid off. But Horatio will be back soon, he might be able to pull some strings." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded while she sighed softly.

"How's Horatio still on leave, men only get a couple of weeks leave for a baby, don't they?" Calleigh asked.

"He's taken compassionate leave, he needs to be home with Zoë." Eric replied.

"Why?" Calleigh asked and Eric sighed.

"A few reasons, Calleigh." Eric said dismissively.

"Maya is a lovely name. How did they lose her? Like, how did those kidnappers kill the baby or was it just the stress of being kidnapped that caused Zoë to miscarry?" Calleigh asked softly. Eric took a deep breath and looked down at Tyler as he played on the phone still. '_Should I tell her? She'll fine out sooner or later, won't she? I don't want her to ask either H or Zoë, or worse, someone else. I don't want her to hear it in gossip if she hears anything that could be going around. I know what the lab is like, rumours always go around and old things stirred up.'_ Eric thought to himself.

"I'm not discussing that with you, Calleigh. Don't go off and ask anyone else either." He warned dryly, she noticed the darkness in his voice so decided to leave it at that. "Look, I'll talk to H and see if he can pull a few strings to get you back at the lab, okay?" He asked and she nodded contentedly.

Eric then picked up his phone and then read Zoë's message when Calleigh turned to see what Tyler was up to and found that he was accidentally sending messages to any number he typed in.

"_Hey sweetie, was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight? Alexx and her husband, Joe and Nathan are all coming over, would be lovely if you could make it. Z x," _He smiled when he read the message. Calleigh looked back to him and then studied his small smile.

"What did she say?" Calleigh asked softly when she looked back to him and saw him smiling.

"Just that they're having a few people over for dinner and wondered if I'd like to join." Eric said softly.

"You should go." Calleigh said softly as she tilted her head.

"I'm currently in hospital, Calleigh. I don't even know if I'm going to be out yet." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded as Eric looked back to his phone.

"I'll ring her." Eric said softly as he dialled her number.

"Hey sweetie, how are you?" Zoë asked as she picked up her phone just as she was changing the girls.

"Hi Zo, I'm not too bad thank you. How are you doing, how's H? How'd Isobel and Ella get on at the hospital today?" Eric asked softly as he looked down to Tyler and smiled at him.

"Good, we're good thank you. They did really well, Sophie thinks that Isobel is doing really well compared to the last visit, so we're very happy, Ella is also doing really well. Are you able to make it tonight? We just wanted a change, we need some time with you guys." She asked softly.

"I'm not sure, sorry Zo, I'm currently in hospital, I had an accident at work today. I'm good though, so don't worry, I'm just not sure if I'll be out in time." Eric said softly and calmly in hope of it keeping her calm.

"Ooh Eric, I'm sorry, are you okay? Are you alone? What happened?" She asked as she stopped what she was doing and smiled down at both girls once she'd finished dressing them.

"I'm okay, I just had my throat cut by a chicken. I'm not alone, Calleigh and Tyler are here, so don't worry about me." Eric said softly. He knew then that she was with the girls as he detected a hint of the chirpy, nearly high-pitched baby voice she was talking in.

"Oh of course, Calleigh is here. Sorry Eric, I've got the baby brain. You got your throat cut by a chicken?" Zoë asked softly and he could hear that she was confused.

"Yes, well it was a rooster, there was a cockfight that we stopped and they threw the roosters at us, the talons caught my neck. But I'm good. Don't worry about that Zoë, I know you've got enough on your plate." Eric said softly with a very small chuckle.

"Christ, that's something to tell the grandchildren. Glad you're okay though. If you do want to come over, Calleigh and Tyler are welcome too, but I completely understand if you want to give tonight a miss, we don't mind. Just let us know, yeah?" Zoë asked but he heard her slight unease when saying that Calleigh was welcome, she knew full well that Horatio wouldn't have any of it, Eric knew that too.

"Will do Zo, I'll text you later. Thank you." Eric said softly.

"No problem, see you soon, call if you need anything." Zoë said softly.

"Thank you, bye Zoë." Eric said softly before they hung up.

"Are you going to go over?" Calleigh asked softly and Eric shook his head with a shrug.

"She said that you're welcome to as well, but I don't think it's a good idea as my throat is killing me and I am really tired." He said softly and Calleigh nodded.

"There will be other times though, so don't worry if you're not feeling up to it. Who's going?" Calleigh asked warmly as she gently rubbed his upper arm.

"Just some friends." He said softly and Calleigh nodded.

"Work friends?" She asked warmly as she tilted her head, he could see the bright glint of curiosity in Calleigh's eyes.

"Kind of, Alexx and her husband are going, Joe, who is Zoë's best friend and the God-father of the twins and Nathan, another good friend of us all, he's a doctor." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded.

"Do you know Joe? Is he the tall one with shortish messy hair?" Calleigh asked and Eric nodded.

"Is he gay?" Calleigh asked.

"No, he's far from it." Eric smiled, amused.

"But he's not got a girlfriend has he?" Calleigh asked inquisitively.

"No, but he's not gay." Eric said softly.

"How? He can't be that hot and without a girlfriend if he's not gay, and that doctor, is he the one that treated Zoë when her throat was cut?" Calleigh asked and Eric nodded as he raised his eyebrows at her to let her know that she was starting to tread on ever thinning ice.

"Does he have a girlfriend?" Calleigh asked and Eric shook his head. "But he's hot too. They're always either hot and taken, or hot and gay…" Calleigh said softly.

"That's really something you shouldn't be telling me." Eric said softly and she picked up on the slither of disapproval in his voice.

"I'm sorry Eric." Calleigh said softly.

"They're both busy men, they don't have time for girlfriends." Eric explained softly.

"What does that Joe guy do?" Calleigh asked curiously.

"He's the CEO of an oil company." Eric replied and Calleigh looked shocked.

"But he's like 25?" Calleigh asked.

"He's 30, and he's a clever man. He attended Prep and grammar school with Zoë and also went to the same University." Eric said softly.

"He comes from a wealthy family too? What University did they go to?" Calleigh asked.

"Princeton." Eric replied and Calleigh looked shocked again. "Why are you so interested in Zoë?" Eric asked softly as he lowered his eyebrows, feeling something suspicious about how interested in Zoë she was.

"Well, she's Horatio's wife for one… she's obviously a big part of the team. I'm just curious as to what happened and who happened after I left." Calleigh said softly and Eric nodded with a small frown.

"Am I a rebound, Calleigh? Am I second best to Tom? Is that why you've agreed to try a relationship again?" Eric asked and she looked a little shocked.

"No, not at all. I've always had feelings for you, I told you that. I have your child Eric. I told you that since seeing you again, I've felt stronger feelings and felt closer to you." Calleigh said softly.

"So I'm not second best?" Eric asked.

"You're not second best." Calleigh replied and Eric nodded, a little happier.

"We can make this work Eric." Calleigh said softly as she leant back down and kissed him. Eric looked back up at her with a smile and a nod as he took her hand with a warm smile developing.

"Just promise me one thing." He asked her to which she nodded. "Don't ask anymore questions about Zoë and Horatio, they are none of your business and none of mine either." He said as he looked up to her and she nodded again.

"I promise, I was just curious, that's all," she pleaded and he nodded.

XXXXXXXX

At 1.30AM in the morning that night, Horatio woke. He couldn't feel Zoë wrapped around him like usual so he rolled onto his side and reached over for her, just as he'd always do if she wasn't sleeping close by. He opened his eyes and squinted when he couldn't feel anyone in the bed with him.

"Zoë?" he asked quietly as he quickly flicked his bedside lamp on and then turned back to her side. He frowned as he sat up and then looked into the cot to see both babies sleeping very peacefully before he pushed the duvet from his legs and looked towards the en-suite. He could hear the shower running so slowly clambered out of bed and headed towards the door.

"Sweetheart?" he asked warmly as he gently pushed the door open and entered to see Zoë sitting on the floor of the shower with her head bowed down and resting on her knees as she raised them to her chest. He quickly entered fully and then pulled the shower door open, but she still didn't even look up to him.

"Zoë, sweetheart," he called warmly as he leant in and turned the shower off before he stepped in and crouched down beside her.

"Sweetheart," he called as he placed his hand on her bare shoulder. Suddenly, she looked up, completely startled and sprang away from him and into the corner of the shower, breathing heavily.

"Sorry," Horatio apologised as he raised his hands to show her he meant no harm. She began to settle once she realised it was Horatio.

"Talk to me, Zoë," he encouraged as he stayed where he was, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable by getting too close to her when she was clearly very timid. She looked up at him, it was clear she'd been crying.

"I told you that I'd have nightmares." She murmured quietly as she looked back down to the floor.

"You should have woke me up sweetheart, I can help." He said warmly but she just shook her head.

"No you can't," she argued as she looked back up to him and furrowed her brow.

"How do you know that if you didn't ask for my help?" Horatio asked warmly as he moved slightly closer to her.

"Because you were the nightmare." She admitted as she looked at him. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at her, completely startled and shocked. '_I was the nightmare?'_ he asked himself as he tilted his head at her.

"I am very sorry sweetheart." He apologised as he moved forwards again.

"I want to be left alone, please." She asked quietly but he didn't move.

"Zoë, look at me sweetheart." He said warmly as he slowly knelt down on his knees from the crouching position he was in. "Sweetheart, look at me." He asked warmly as he tilted his head to the side and watched her lift her head to look at him.

"I am very sorry about what happened, and I'm sorry that you had a nightmare about me… but you must try and get some sleep Zoë, you need it. We both need it. I promise you that everything is alright, I promise you that you're not going to get hurt. I know it's not a nice–" he said to try and soothe her but she cut him off.

"No you don't, Horatio, you have no idea about how this makes me feel. I've just had a nightmare about you, the only man in this world that I feel truly comfortable with. You were never sexually abused, you simply won't understand how I'm feeling. Sexual abuse is different to physical and mental abuse… The last thing I want is for me to associate you with anything remotely negative, I don't want to associate you with the sexual abuse I got from him… that's what this is… you were both there, you and he…" she stopped talking when the lump in her throat grew too big. It was all he could take, he couldn't sit back and watch her fall apart without comforting her.

"Zoë, I know sweetheart, I know I won't understand. But remember, it was a nightmare, it wasn't me." He soothed as he moved closer and sat on the floor beside her before he gently pulled her over to sit between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her as she put her head back on his shoulder and turned her head towards his.

"I'm sorry," she apologised as she began to sob again while Horatio hugged her tightly against him.

"There's no need to apologise, sweetheart." He soothed gently as he began to rub her stomach with both hands as he delicately kissed the side of her head lovingly.

"You're going to get wet." She murmured as she tried drying her face with her wet hands.

"That doesn't matter." He replied warmly as his hands continued to skim over her belly, he could tell that it was easing her anxiety.

"Think about Ella, Isobel and me… we're all apart of each other. We've got two beautiful daughters and we conceived them on that Saturday night… maybe that can happen again in the future, maybe we'll be able to conceive another baby." He said gently as he kissed her hair again as she nodded.

"Hopefully we will, not too soon though." She said quietly which caused Horatio to chuckle lightly as he nodded.

"Yes, not too soon, but when the time is right." He whispered to her warmly.

"I keep seeing him, Horatio… in my dreams. He's just standing there, watching… like he's waiting to pounce…" she admitted before she pressed her lips together.

"How long have you been seeing him?" Horatio asked delicately as he raised one hand to her head and began to play with her hair.

"Since a few days before they were born, more since they were born." She whispered as Horatio began to nod.

"You could have spoken to me sweetheart." He said warmly and she began to nod as she sobbed.

"I know, but I just hoped that they'd stop, but they haven't. I've been seeing other things too, Horatio," she cried as she turned and tried to hug him tightly but they were both just in awkward positions.

"Okay sweetheart, how about we get out of the shower and back into bed where we can properly talk things through, yeah? Would that be better? You're getting cold." He said warmly and she began to nod at him as she pulled away. They both stood and walked out of the en-suite, dried and then changed into dry clothes before they climbed back into bed. He pulled her over towards him and allowed her to wrap herself around him, placing her head directly next to his.

"Just talk to me sweetheart, we have all night." He soothed quietly as he wrapped his arms around her and began to nuzzle her nose lightly.

"There's just things that I'd forgotten… things that I wished had stayed buried that seem to have woken up… I don't want to look into my past, Horatio, why am I seeing things like this now?" she asked him quietly as she ran her hand over his chest.

"I've mentioned before, having our daughters with us might re-awaken memories we'd rather keep hidden. I know I've had a few that have come back to haunt me." He admitted quietly and then felt her hand stop on his chest.

"We never got round to finishing that conversation on the shop when we bought paint…" she remembered as she began to stroke his chest once more.

"You're right, we didn't… I'm not sure where to start, Zoë." He admitted quietly. "I've never spoken of it to anyone." He added as he began to run one of his hands up and down her back.

"If you're not comfortable, then you don't need to talk, Horatio." she said quietly before she kissed him delicately on the lips.

"My father was a drunk and he was violent when he was drunk. You know that I killed him, don't you? I told you that, haven't I?" he asked quietly to which she nodded at him. He exhaled steadily as he tried to think about his words.

"It was just classic abuse; he'd get drunk and would lose it… his belt was his favourite weapon that created most of the scars on my back. He'd hit me repeatedly, until I was bleeding and barely conscious on the floor or until my mother managed to stop him. I managed to defend Raymond from most of the abuse, but he still got some of it, he still got scars no matter how much I tried to protect him. The day I killed him was the first time I felt free, but I also felt an incredible loss as he'd murdered my mother. I don't know what happened that day… why it was so different from the rest… but I should have done it sooner, I shouldn't have waited so long." He said quietly as Zoë listened carefully.

"I'm so sorry, Horatio." she said quietly as she nuzzled his nose. "What memories have come back for you? If you don't mind me asking?" she asked him warmly.

"I was about 5 years old… I was standing by Ray's crib watching him sleep while our mother had a very quick shower. Suddenly, he appeared and drunk as ever… Ray was only a few weeks old and completely defenceless. He pushed me out of the way and began to smother my brother with a blanket. I tried to stop him, but I was only small myself… it wasn't until our mother came back in and stopped him. She hit him for that. It was the first time I'd seen her hit him. But of course he didn't have that, so he dragged her away from us. That's all I remember... It just makes me realise just how helpless Ray was then when I look at our daughters... they rely on us to defend them from everything, but we didn't… the people who were supposed to defend us were the ones hurting us. Ella and Isobel are such happy babies, they clearly know who we are and are already showing us both so much love and affection… I just wonder if I was ever the same towards him." Horatio admitted quietly.

"Oh handsome, I'm so sorry. That must have been horrible. But you must remember that both you and Ray survived that, you got through that together. Horatio, you were a baby, if your father was anything like mine, he wouldn't have been around you for long, only when it suited him… you probably wouldn't have built up that bond with him either. I didn't with my father at all. As babies get older, they get picky with who they want to be around… I always wanted my mother, I bet you were the same. You wouldn't have wanted your father, you wouldn't have shown him affection if he didn't show you affection. I'm going to say something that I think we both need to listen to. It was the past, the past stays in the past." She paused as her fingertips delicately danced through his chest hair.

"We have a beautiful family now, we have two happy, loving daughters who will always have our love and attention. These memories are nothing but memories, they are not what we should be thinking about, we should be focussing on making new memories to replace the old ones we don't want. I know it's harder said than done, but when I look at you… when I look at them, that's all I see, I see my present and my future and that's all we need to be looking at. The best things in our lives are right in this room… that's you, me and our two beautiful babies… who could be ginger like you." She smiled as she nuzzled him.

He began to smile as he nodded, he knew she was right and that she was feeling much better herself. He was very proud that she was the one talking sense this time, not him. She was the one being strong and not allowing the dark places in their lives to overtake the light places.

"I'm sorry Horatio, for waking you and for breaking down on you…" she apologise quietly.

"Don't apologise sweetheart, you should be proud of yourself, you managed to build us both back up." He said warmly as he moved his head and gently placed a kiss on her lips. "Are you okay though? Would you like to talk about what you'd remembered?" He asked quietly as he began to play with her hair.

"I'm good now, I think I've talked some sense into myself. It's no longer bothering me, it's the past, sure, it's not a great memory, but I'm not going to allow it to affect me." She said softly but he knew it was still playing on her mind.

"Zoë, I know you better than you think. I know it is bothering you." He admitted delicately as he swept his fingertips over her skin. Suddenly a sharp cry from one of the babies sounded causing both Zoë and Horatio to sit up and shoot out of bed.

"Hey baby girl, what's that about?" Zoë said gently as she reached down and gently ran her hand over Ella's soft hair. Both Horatio and Zoë looked down at her as she continued to cry.

"She can't be hungry, can she? She was fed 2 hours ago, she should be good for another hour." Zoë asked as she checked her temperature and then gently stroked her cheeks.

"It would seem so." He replied when Ella turned her head towards Zoë's hand, looking for milk.

"Come on then, let's feed you hungry little monkey." Zoë said as she gently lifted Ella out of the Moses basket and then walked over to the bed with her.

"Isobel is waking too, she'll probably want feeding as well." Horatio said softly as he reached down and smiled at her before he lifted her up.

"They both must have not had much the last feed then…" Zoë said as she took her t-shirt off with her bra and sat back on the bed.

"Are you looking for milk too?" Horatio said as he held Isobel against his bare chest, feeling her warm body heat his skin nicely. He then walked over to Zoë with her just as she began to cry too and handed the baby to her after putting her bib on. Both babies quickly silenced their cries as they began to drink while Horatio quickly collected a couple of items ready to change them after the feed. He then assisted Zoë in any way he could before Isobel stopped feeding while Ella continued.

"She's a very hungry baby, wow." Zoë smiled tiredly as Horatio gently took Isobel and began to change her in their room.

Once finished, they both settled each baby back down and sent them to sleep. Zoë and Horatio then finally settled back down themselves. Horatio had noticed that Zoë was much calmer and seemed to have forgotten about what they were speaking about previously.

"Alright?" Horatio asked casually as he moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her as they both closed their eyes.

"Yeah, how about you?" she asked warmly.

"I'm good, I'm glad we finally managed to talk, even if it wasn't much." He replied.

"Yeah, you know you can talk to me about anything as well don't you?" she asked him warmly.

"I know sweetheart, thank you." He replied equally as warmly. '_It would seem that me talking caused her to sort herself out, I thought it was going to be a difficult night, I thought that she wouldn't want to touch me after having a bad dream about me, I'm glad I managed to talk to her about it, she is right, she was the strongest one out of the both of us… even if it wasn't for long, she was the one supporting me properly. I knew she had it in her, she just needs a little push I think. She allows herself to be beaten down about her past, that's the problem, but tonight she didn't.'_ he thought to himself.

"Good, goodnight handsome, I love you." She said as she turned over to face him and place a loving kiss on his lips.

"Goodnight beautiful, I love you too." He whispered before he returned the kiss.

XXXXXXXX

Also that evening, Calleigh and Eric shared the same bed once more after Eric had been discharged from the hospital with the all clear.

"How are you feeling now?" Calleigh asked softly as she laid on her side against Eric as he nodded.

"I'm feeling much better thank you, but I think I'll be taking tomorrow off." He replied to which she nodded with a light giggle.

"Maybe we can all go out, perhaps to a park or somewhere fun for Tyler. If you're feeling up to it that is." She asked warmly and he nodded.

"That would be good." He replied. She nodded at him with a smile before she moved closer and then closed her eyes.

"Goodnight Eric, if Tyler wakes again tonight, don't be alarmed if he does climb into bed with us again." She said as she exhaled tiredly.

"I won't, I know to expect it now… I just didn't expect it at 4 in the morning yesterday…" he replied and then listened to the small giggle coming from Calleigh. "Goodnight Cal," he said before he gave her a gentle kiss and then closed his eyes too.

The End

**Thank you all for reading, next story is "Caine Me" - hopefully it'll be up within a couple of days. **


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